I wonder how many Clinton haters needed smelling salts, besides Andrew Sullivan, after William Jefferson Clinton got through with his speech last night. It’s certain the right-wing smear merchants that have tried so hard for so long to keep him down didn’t know what to do. Because when he showed up on the Pepsi Center stage, what he delivered what had to come as quite a shock.
“I am honored to be here tonight to support Barack Obama. And to warm up the crowd for Joe Biden, though as you’ll soon see, he doesn’t need any help from me. I love Joe Biden, and America will too.” — William Jefferson Clinton
Compliments of the traditional media and the Clinton haters sucking up the rumors for weeks, all we’ve been hearing about is that Bill Clinton was told what to say, how long he could talk about it, and that it had been difficult for the Clintons and the Obamas to make it happen. The fantasy feud between the two Democratic camps that now exist within the Democratic Party has been topic one on page one across this country for weeks. Following up after Hillary’s tour de force, last night whatever was left went poof!
Hillary told us in no uncertain terms that she’ll do everything she can to elect Barack Obama. That makes two of us. Actually that makes 18 million of us — because, like Hillary, I want all of you who supported her to vote for Barack Obama in November. — William Jefferson Clinton
That is, when people weren’t conjuring up stories about mythical political packs of people who, as far as I’ve been able to see, don’t exist in any numbers whatsoever. In fact, I’ve not seen any numbers of the unhinged fringe anywhere. My husband, who came with me to Denver via a road trip we took here, counted exactly 8 of the unhinged fringe variety yesterday meandering in what was supposed to be their idea of a demonstration outside the convention center where Hillary released her delegates. Eight. Pathetic stragglers looking for their purpose that was nowhere to be found.
Political drama puts eyes on the page, viewers watching your station, people gossiping about something that teases trouble. First, Hillary’s speech was a worry. People said she wasn’t ready. Could she give it and support Obama? What would happen if she didn’t? Then came Bill. What would he say? Because we all know he didn’t think Obama was ready, while Bill wasn’t ready to pass the presidential torch. Blah-blah-blah. It evaporated with the first words of the Big Dawg’s last night, which was backed up by an unequivocal case for the presidency of Barack Obama.
Barack Obama is ready to lead America and restore American leadership in the world. Ready to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States. Barack Obama is ready to be President of the United States. — William Jefferson Clinton
The man knows how to bring it and last night he did and didn’t stop until he walked off the stage.
It’s the reason when he first appeared the crowd went nuts and he couldn’t shut them up.
After all these miserable years of George W. Bush’s presidency, we are so hungry for a president who actually cares about people, can drive the economy, as well as defend America’s honor around the world, that the thoughts of what Bill Clinton produced in his two-term presidency brings about a feeling that leads to dreams of what can be again.
There is nobody who can speak like Bill Clinton, linking real world troubles here, with our dangerous real world troubles “over there.”
Our position in the world has been weakened by too much unilateralism and too little cooperation; a perilous dependence on imported oil; a refusal to lead on global warming; a growing indebtedness and a dependence on foreign lenders; a severely burdened military; a backsliding on global non-proliferation and arms control agreements; and a failure to consistently use the power of diplomacy, from the Middle East to Africa to Latin America to Central and Eastern Europe.
Clearly, the job of the next President is to rebuild the American Dream and restore America’s standing in the world.
Everything I learned in my eight years as President and in the work I’ve done since, in America and across the globe, has convinced me that Barack Obama is the man for this job.
He reminds all Democrats of what we can do when we refuse to give in. He reminds what we can do even after Democratic enemies go hunting for our candidates like right-wing radio did to him in the 1990s, with the full force of the Republican smear machine backing him. Like people of Jerome Corsi’s ilk did to John Kerry, and others like one writer of the National Review is now trying to do to Barack Obama.
William Jefferson Clinton not only made the case for Barack Obama last night. He linked his own presidency and what was accomplished during Bill Clinton’s amazing run in the Oval Office to Obama in a way that was meant to remind everyone of what could lie ahead if Obama wins.
We don’t call Bill Clinton the Big Dawg for nothing. It’s why Democrats love him and the Republicans hate him. No matter what is thrown at him he just keeps on coming, delivering, always reaching. He is quite simply politically indomitable.
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