Obama Leaving Primary Battle with Bill Clinton Behind
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ABC News’ Sunlen Miller Reports: Describing their tiffs as the nature of political campaigns, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., told reporters Tuesday that he wants Bill Clinton campaigning for him, even though he had a reportedly tense relationship with the former president during the primaries.
Following their long awaited phone conversation on Monday, Obama told reporters that the twenty-minute chat he had with Bill Clinton was great, and was an indication of a relationship to come.
"I absolutely want Bill Clinton campaigning for me," Obama said at a Zanesville, Ohio media availability.
During the primary campaign President Clinton was a fierce advocate for his wife, Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., – and at times he was critical of Obama’s experience level. The former president, for example, once insinuated that nominating Obama would be a "roll of the dice," a comment which prompted equally fierce pushback from Obama at times as well.
After Mrs. Clinton endorsed Obama and campaigned with him last Friday, attention drifted toward the Mr. Clinton and Obama, to see if they could work out their rocky battle of the primary past.
"When you’re in a tough primary battle, you say things that you know, afterwards you may end up thinking, ah, it might have been a little in temper," Obama said of the once testy back and forth, "But that’s the nature of political campaigns."
Obama said that he and Bill Clinton, whom he called "one of the most successful presidents" in his lifetime, are now united in wanting to make sure that the Democrats succeed both in winning additional Congressional seats and the White House in November.
The Obama campaign says that President Clinton will hit the campaign trail with Obama soon, although no formal dates have been set.
Sen. DeMint: GOP Race Could Go Until Convention 
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Well what’s Bill42 gonna do? He’s not gonna endorse McSame.
Posted by: The Commander Guy | July 1, 2008, 7:55 pm 7:55 pm
Well, give Barack 24 hours. He’ll change his mind. Or maybe not. Well on second thought he proabaly will. Or maybe not. Than again, it probably will depend on who his audience is…….
Change and Hope? NOPE!
PUMA!
Posted by: SadStateOfAffairs | July 1, 2008, 8:06 pm 8:06 pm
Is there someone else running for President?
Amazing, where is Obama’s opponent?
Ya gotta love a guy who campaigns by crying. Captures the imagination of the voters.
Posted by: Thinking | July 1, 2008, 8:11 pm 8:11 pm
because I love my son want what is best for him, I will continue to support Senator Clinton because she is the only candidate who is capable of being the best President that he deserves and that all our children, our troops and our Nation desperately need right now…..if you’re comfortable with supporting a lesser candidate (mccain/obama), then that’s on you…..
Posted by: chris | July 1, 2008, 8:18 pm 8:18 pm
well Chris
you just cancelled your relevance
Posted by: demforMcCain | July 1, 2008, 8:26 pm 8:26 pm
chris, Hillary’s not even a canidate???? So what exactly are you talking about supporting a lesser canidate.
Posted by: erin | July 1, 2008, 8:28 pm 8:28 pm
Sources close to the Obama camp are claiming Jim Webb as the likely Democratic VP. This is GREAT news
Posted by: PUMA (Poor uneducated miserable adults) | July 1, 2008, 8:37 pm 8:37 pm
Obama didn’t just run at Hillary Clinton, he attacked and smeared Bill Clinton, and especially the man’s legacy and the accomplishments of his administration. It’s unprecedented for a Democratic nominee to have attacked the last Dem to serve in the White House, but that’s what Obama did. Damn right Bill Clinton’s mad – he should be!!
Posted by: hopesprings52 | July 1, 2008, 8:51 pm 8:51 pm
umm…he isn’t getting Chris’s vote with her as VP…so you’re wrong there. Also I severly doubt that any third party candidate is getting more than a percent vote.
Posted by: Matthew Gatto | July 1, 2008, 9:01 pm 9:01 pm
Barack, the Flip Flop, Obama…
Same S–t, Different Day…
Posted by: Jayhawk | July 1, 2008, 9:03 pm 9:03 pm
It is amazing to me how we paint this drama – that NONE OF US are privy to. then, ALL the righteous opinions and tactics to keep something going that is at best a MYTH!
Posted by: cecibertrand | July 1, 2008, 9:04 pm 9:04 pm
hopesprings52,
It’s also unprecedented for a Democratic nominee to run against the wife of the last Dem to serve in the White House, but that’s what Obama did. And he won.
Posted by: El_Pajaro | July 1, 2008, 9:42 pm 9:42 pm
Sorry, Barry, I still won’t vote for you, no matter who campaigns for you!
Posted by: Foodforthought | July 1, 2008, 9:59 pm 9:59 pm
Bill certainly does not need barack Obama.
Posted by: JULIE | July 1, 2008, 10:10 pm 10:10 pm
Bill Clinton has every reason to be mad..the media with the help of Obama supporters destroyed his legacy..anyone who thinks Clintons are racist is crazy.Clintons had to fight Obama with thieir one hand tied behind their back and they still got savaged in the press.Bill’s comments in S.Carolina about Blacks favouring Obama are as factual as women heavily leaning toward Hillary..these are two historic candidates…they are bound to inspire their respective constituecies.
Posted by: mani | July 1, 2008, 10:14 pm 10:14 pm
As much as I dislike what Bob Barr did during Clintons term, shouting “Impeach” at every rummor the rep’s could dream up, he is starting to look good right now.
Posted by: Ron | July 1, 2008, 10:20 pm 10:20 pm
No one has destroyed the Clinton legacy. But if it was it would be because of Bill himself. He acted more like a desperate man than a former president. It was very unbecoming and embarrassing to watch.
Posted by: gg | July 1, 2008, 10:28 pm 10:28 pm
I love reading abaout the whiny Hillary supporters who blame their life’s issues and Hillary’s loss on sexism. (Gee I don’t think racism played too much of role, do you? Think WVA and KY). However, to all the Hillary supporters who want Obama to lose in November think about this – the Obama supporters will obviously not be coming out for Hillary in 2012 – yes, it works both ways. Hillary in 2016.
Posted by: democratfor08 | July 1, 2008, 10:30 pm 10:30 pm
What a shame for asking President Bill Clinton to campaign for him. I don’t think he deserve that honor because he criticizes Clinton’s policy more than the current GOP incumbent during the Primary.
Posted by: stock_craft | July 1, 2008, 10:41 pm 10:41 pm
And you wonder why Obama opted out of campaign finance. He needs 3 to 4 times the cash to fight against all the trashing he is getting from lamebrains much like the ones blogging tonight.
I guess desperate times requires desperate measures.
Let the witch hunt continue.
obama 08
those for….
change we can believe in.
those against…
change that will crush you.
Posted by: Omentum | July 1, 2008, 10:42 pm 10:42 pm
I heard somewhere Will Smith wants to play Obama in a movie. Who’s going to play Michelle? Samuel L Jackson?
Posted by: Not4Obama | July 1, 2008, 11:05 pm 11:05 pm
I hope that all of us that can will do our best to help Hillary Clinton pay off ALL of her campaign debt quickly. She deserves that. You all knew Hillary, and Bill would go out on a limb for us if they felt they had too. That’s what they do. :-) As I said before Hillary Clinton was STUNNING!!!
You witnessed the greatest political campaign struggle in American history. One for the textbooks, and the history books. Hillary Clinton fought her heart out against all odds to win for all of the American people. While at the same time doing her best to prepare Sen. Barack Obama to win in November if he was the nominee. STUNNING!!! WELL DONE HILLARY CLINTON. WELL DONE! Your AMAZING! :-)
Sen. Obama could not have had a better opponent than Hillary Clinton. Nor could he have had a better opponent to prepare him for the battle royal to come against John McCain and the Republicans ahead of the November elections. Hillary Clinton was like a big Mama cat determined to teach her kitten how to hunt, and hang with the big dogs for the fights ahead. The Clinton’s have won the Whitehouse twice before. They know what it will take.
Hillary Clinton took Sen. Obama to every brawl, and cat fight she could find for him to develop his fight, and his chops. She even let her men (President Clinton, Governor Rendell, and many others) loose on Sen. Obama a little bit. So as to give Sen. Obama a taste of just how rough, and tough the big boys will be to do battle with. :-)
From sea to shining sea and US territories Hillary Clinton took Sen. Obama to see all of America. To meet, and greet all it’s people. And to ask for their votes and support, which he will need if he becomes President. She took him to see what he will be fighting for. And to see what she and President Clinton have fought so heroically for over so many years. Sen. Obama could not have ask for any better. Nor had any better teachers.
Bill Clinton, Chelsea, Mrs. Rodham, and the whole Clinton team were magnificent. They really showed their metal. BRAVO! TEAM CLINTON… BRAVO!
And YOU! my fellow Americans. I’m so proud of you. And proud to be one of you. You showed what you are made of. And what makes America so great. You never gave up on your Champion Hillary Clinton. Time, and time again you eagerly waited your turn to vote for Hillary Clinton. To raise her up and pass her along down the line to the rest of your waiting fellow Americans.
You never gave up on her. Just as Hillary Clinton never gave up on you. No matter how many times they counted her out. No matter how many times her detractors, and attackers brutally knocked her down. You knew she would get back up and get after it. And when she did you were ready to support her. This is your role model America. AMERICA LOVES A FIGHTER. AMERICA UNDERSTANDS A FIGHTER. AMERICA IS A FIGHTER. I’M PROUD OF YOU AMERICA!
Sen. Clinton looked a little tired her first day back at work in the senate after her history making heroic campaign. She has good reason to be tired. Doesn’t she America. But with time and good attention to the basics she, and you will recover. The basics are good well balanced nutrition, hydration, rest, exercise, recreation, POSITIVE! emotional support, and time (the greatest healer of all).
Y’all be good to President Clinton. I never saw a man fight so hard for a woman, and the American people as President Clinton fought for Hillary Clinton, and you. It’s going to take Bill a while. No one except Hillary Clinton could have fought any harder than President Clinton did for you.
I imagine President Clinton still remembers how the American people wailed, reached, and cried out for him as he took that last flight home as your President on Air Force One after the 2000 elections. Yes, many of us knew back then what was coming for the American people under a republican administration. Back to living like dumb animals again. Fighting over territory, and scraps of meat. You are dieing like fly’s now. Republicans too. But it’s ok because some people are making a lot of money off of your needless deaths. :-(
As always, Hillary Clinton, and President Clinton did their best for all of us. It was an EPIC!
YOU MADE US VERY PROUD HILLARY CLINTON! HOLD YOUR HEAD HIGH :-)
WE LOVE YOU. AND ADMIRE YOU…
jacksmith… Working Class :-)
Posted by: jacksmith | July 1, 2008, 11:11 pm 11:11 pm
You Obama followers need to turn your hate and vial to McCain. You are going to have to try and destroy him in order to win.
Posted by: Ron | July 1, 2008, 11:34 pm 11:34 pm
Obama does not deserve his help. Everything Bill said during the primary was true, except the media did not report the context of anything. They distorted everything he said. Will he be on a short leash just to get mileage and look like unity? Probably. If I were him, I would get my own mileage. Keep a diary, write another book strictly on this campaign. I bet he has some great stories. Hillary, too. We will all buy their books and they can make up for what they invested. The story will be told.
Posted by: georgia | July 1, 2008, 11:44 pm 11:44 pm
I think Obama is wishful thinking if he actually thinks he will get support from Bill Clinton. It really doesn’t matter….Obama is ruining his campaign with is flip-flopping….this guy is a loser! McCain 08!
Posted by: carpe' diem | July 1, 2008, 11:50 pm 11:50 pm
Cant wait for november to see hussein obama lose bigtime!
Posted by: sunny | July 1, 2008, 11:53 pm 11:53 pm
Obama obviously thought that in order to beat Hillary he had to trash the Clinton legacy. It seems to have worked. The press went along with it and he did get the nomination. He got away with calling Bill a racist and saying the Clinton years were as bad as the Bush disaster. He even got away with strongly implying that an indiscrete BJ was comprable to lying us into war. Now Obama says Bill is one of the great and most successful leaders and brilliant and wants him to campaign for him. If I was Bill Clinton I would be mad as hell!!
Posted by: hopesprings52 | July 2, 2008, 12:03 am 12:03 am
Bill Clinton fights for the Party to win in November.
Obama just uses him to get Clinton’s fans.
The Bill Clinton’s rallies for college students always been successful.
He can get young and older people as well .
I bet if he ran again he probably would get a pretty good chance.
Posted by: catleya | July 2, 2008, 12:10 am 12:10 am
I was a Hillary supporter and am now in a quandry.
For the first time in an election i have no idea who i will vote for. Obama has baggage already…and he’s just out of the gate. McCain is a chameleon. He is the one who changes as the tide changes. Obama to me is ingenious. That is showing itself now along with his inexperience. We the Democrats made another HUGE blunder (aka Kerry) instead of voting for Hillary, who would have made history for all woman and would be a fantastic President, we allowed the big liberals to run the show
Posted by: clarkbar | July 2, 2008, 12:12 am 12:12 am
Hopespring52, 12:03:58,
I agree
Posted by: catleya | July 2, 2008, 12:14 am 12:14 am
Just to put this in context… Bill Clinton was the first two term Democratic president since FDR, and he left with an approval rating of about 65 %. Obama tore him apart at every turn, galvanizing the black community which had adored Clinton to hate him, turning the left into a pack of angry wolves to tear him apart and heckle him, and whipping up a messianic frenzy of media driven hatred against Bill Clinton. Clinton owes Obama nothing but the finger Obama gave Hillary!
Posted by: hopesprings52 | July 2, 2008, 12:14 am 12:14 am
Where are Al sharpen, Jesse Jackson etc who accused Bill Clinton as a racist?
Shouldn’t they say something for his endorsement?
If they think Mr Clinton is racist they should reject his endorsement.
Posted by: catleya | July 2, 2008, 12:20 am 12:20 am
I don’t know how Mr Clinton felt when those AA turned back on him.
Look how he works for African children, Katrina victims and he lives in the majority black neighborhood.
How could they said he was a racist!
Posted by: catleya | July 2, 2008, 12:27 am 12:27 am
It is puzzling… if Obama and his handlers feel that Bill Clinton is a racist, that his policies set America back and that his presidency was in the same league with Bush’s, why is he asking for Clinton to now campaign for him? And why are members of the media so surprised that Clinton is mad? Hello….
Posted by: hopesprings52 | July 2, 2008, 12:27 am 12:27 am
Ok Jack, Good enough, I’m crazy about Hillary too. But no matter how much she and Bill work for the “good of the democratic party”, I’m still voting for the better candidate, that’s John McCain for me.
Of course, President Clinton is going to offer his support to Barack Obama, however tepid that endorsement may be..
Posted by: Scott | July 2, 2008, 12:59 am 12:59 am
I do not know if we was watching the same channels because Clinton began to attack Obama first and yes I love the Clintons. We have an intelligent black man running for President and the United States is not ready for that and the ones that is a democrat will vote for Mcain just because they don’t want to vote for Obama how sad. Democrats are all the same if Clinton is campaign for Obama that is great Bill is the man and doesn’t need anyone to vouch for him.
I don’t know if you all remembered Bush pimped America and who ever is voting for Mcain needs some help.
Posted by: blossom | July 2, 2008, 1:13 am 1:13 am
McCain sought and received endorsement from Bush, the miserable failure. But Obama goes out of his way to trash the legacy of the Dem who led the way to 8 years of peace and prosperity, and paved the way for Obama’s candidacy.
When Obama, the black community and the lefties cut into Clinton, their champion, it showed that anyone who got in the way of the hysteria would be demonized.
Posted by: hopesprings52 | July 2, 2008, 1:17 am 1:17 am
For every time the Clinton said anything controversal about Obama, the Obama people said ten and ten times more nasty. In fact, some of the statements attributed to Clinton were actually stated by Obama suppoorters or the media first. The Obama campaign and the MSM were very nasty during the primaries and even pools have shown that 72% of population felt Obama received favorable treatment by the MSN.
Posted by: Mary | July 2, 2008, 2:00 am 2:00 am
Bill and Hillary should just walk away from this fool and not have anything to do with him. You know if he loses that they will be blamed somehow, some way.
Posted by: J | July 2, 2008, 6:13 am 6:13 am
micth,
“Religion divides the people, and seeks to control them.”
I agree completely.
Posted by: GetaLife | July 2, 2008, 7:49 am 7:49 am
BeSmart: you must have been reading the bloggers for interpretatiion of the news. You most certainly could not have been getting your info from the national news channels. Bill’s words were twisted totally out of context, and he was told to butt out far too many times. Hillary was ridiculed by the national media and sometimes they were as bad as the bloggers. You now want your candidate to win, no matter what the voters think of his lack of credentials. No, thank you! And don’t worry about Hillary’s credibility and dignity. She will still have it, and more, long after Obama has lost to a better candidate who is seasoned in military matters and governing. We get it, you don’t!
PUMA
FROM THE HANOI HILTON TO THE WHITE HOUSE!
McCain ’08
Posted by: georgia | July 2, 2008, 1:14 pm 1:14 pm
Bill Clinton will probably give his endorsment then go around doing fundraisers for congressional democrats.
McCain’08, Clinton’12
Posted by: Giovanni | July 2, 2008, 4:00 pm 4:00 pm
President Bill Clinton, why do you have to campaign for a loser like Obama?
He will not win the General Election because of what the DNC, the RBC and the Obama campaign race card did to H.R. Clinton I would not even talk to the creep.
Please I beg you Bill and Hillary Clinton do not campaign, nor raise money for the candidate Obama, who was given the nomination.
Those who agree with this truth come and join us at PUMA PAC.
We are democrats who believe in one vote for one citizen and each and every vote should count. Ie., Florida and Michigan
Who believe, the new nominee for the Democratic Party Leadership should be elected by the people and not by the DNC, the RBC and the super delegates.
Thus, Obama is and will always be the illegitimate Democratic nominee.
And now the Obama campaign website thugs have been trying to shut down FREEDOM OF SPEECH on PUAM PAC web site, by disrupting the web page.
IS THIS THE AMERICAN WAY? ARE WE IN AN OBAMA DICTATORSHIP ALREADY?
Posted by: TerryDo | July 2, 2008, 10:54 pm 10:54 pm
Hillary come back, and Bill tell BHO to kiss it!! I will write her name in November, and if BHO keeps changing his promises, maybe the “Supers” will grow some, and change their vote to Hillary.
Posted by: Carol in Alabama` | July 3, 2008, 5:11 pm 5:11 pm
erin: Didn’t you hear of writing someone’s name in on the ballot? All of Hillary’s votes can write her name in and stop Obama from winning the presidency or the majority can vote for McCain and do the same. I am a democrat not voting Obama. McCain is a true American and has never attended a racist anti-american white hating church like Obama did for 20 years. That’s not what I call a true American.
Posted by: Mariann Pepitone | July 4, 2008, 12:14 pm 12:14 pm
TerryDo: Obama supporters are a bunch of trash as far as I am concerned. Yes, Obama will become a dictator and show his true colors if he is elected. He is half Kenyan and that part of him is the opposite of the American black. He is a wheeler dealer, a liar and a fake. He copied the speeches of RFK and used his words hope and change but it all came out in the open. I agree with Rush who stated that Obama cannot do anything for himself.
Posted by: Mariann Pepitone | July 4, 2008, 12:24 pm 12:24 pm
J: You are so right. Hillary and Bill should not campaign for him and Hillary should not have endorsed him. I don’t think that Bill wants to really campaign for him. But Obama is anxious for his support because there are states he cannot win. Hillary won all the big battleground states and they may not vote for him. Also, I believe in Indiana they held out the votes because they trashed many of the votes for Hillary. That’s why she won by only 2%. She should have won by 8 or 9%. I am hoping McCain wins the presidency even though I am a democrat.
Posted by: Mariann Pepitone | July 4, 2008, 12:28 pm 12:28 pm