Bush for Hill
Prez comes down on Hill side of experience debate. Marriage to Bill trumps Who Wants to Date a Despot. Newsday:
President George W. Bush is endorsing Hillary Clinton’s claim that she’s the most experienced candidate in the 2008 field — a plaudit that might cost her with rank-and-file Democrats.
“There is no question that Sen. Clinton understands pressure better than any of the candidates, you know, in the race,” the president told ABC News Tuesday.
It wasn’t clear whether the president thought Clinton was more experienced than all of the Republicans running for the White House or just Democrats. Later, he said that any of the GOP candidates could “beat” Clinton.
Laura Bush chimed in during the Camp David interview, adding that Clinton’s eight years as first lady might be “helpful” in her pursuit of the presidency.
The president even took Clinton’s side over Obama on the question of whether a president should meet foreign dictators with no preconditions during his or her first year in office. Clinton opposes such a policy; Obama supports direct talks. “I thought that was an odd foreign policy” choice, Bush said of the Illinois senator’s stance.
The Obama camp was delighted Bush, the Democrats’ arch-enemy, would praise Clinton.
“I can’t tell if he’s endorsing her, hoping she’s the nominee or thanking her for her votes on Iraq and Iran,” said Obama spokesman Bill Burton.
Most Americans agree with Bush. Seventy-six percent of those questioned in an AP/Yahoo poll released last night described Clinton as “experienced” — the highest rating for any candidate in either party. Obama got the lowest rating, 35 percent, on experience of any candidate in either party, the poll found, but he registered as the most likeable candidate with 67 percent.
Not sure I’d call “understands pressure” an endorsement. Anyway, the question is whether understanding the pressures of being married to Bill is what America needs in 2008.
Posted by Jules Crittenden at 8:11 am on Thursday, November 22, 2007
One Response to “Bush for Hill”
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November 22nd, 2007 at 12:18 pm
Huh. For a minute there I thought I was reading something on Scrappleface, not an article in Newsday.