Who Was First To Cross This Bridge?

Did Sen. Barack Obama uberstrategist David Axelrod coin Bill Clinton's famous phrase "bridge to the 21st century"? A recent Axelrod profile in the New York Times Magazine credits him with introducing it "into the political vernacular" while advising President Clinton's 1996 campaign, but a clip search reveals that Clinton used the metaphor at least twice before that, in major speeches in 1985 and 1988.

Axelrod didn't return a phone message, but a call to President Clinton's office triggered a quick internal investigation. An aide to the former prez says two top Clinton advisers from '96 have no recollection of Axelrod's minting the phrase.

By Paul Bedard