Me Me Me

I maintained my love for Bill Clinton about a decade longer than I should have, in spite of the fact that his silly dalliance probably cost Gore the presidency. Oh man, I was spinning through the ceiling with excitement in the summer of 1992 when he picked Gore as his running mate and they climbed on that bus with Hillary and Tipper. Two charismatic (yes, Gore can be charismatic), super-smart Democratic sons of the South? It was almost too wonderful to process. With a little help from Ross Perot, Poppy and Barb got sent back to Kennebunkport. That seems like a lifetime ago now.

Okay, fast forward as Bill and Hillary behave abominably during the primaries. They’re a competitive twosome — we know that — and she expected to get the nomination handed to her (NOT). Faced with defeat, they managed to get through the convention without lobbing any grenades, but since then? The Obama people must be as nervous as an Auburn fan in the fourth quarter of the Alabama game.

Bill shows up this morning on the Today show to tout his global initiative, or whatever. Closet Republican Matt Lauer asks him if he thinks the first presidential debate should be cancelled. This is an eeeaasy question. What does Bill say? Gee, he doesn’t have an opinion, but helpfully adds that McCain had originally asked for MORE debates, so he’s obviously not reluctant to face Obama.

WRONG! Here’s the answer: “It would send a terrible message to the American people to cancel the first presidential debate. If Senator McCain feels he’s too busy getting briefed on what mortgage-backed securities are, just MOVE the debate to Washington rather than flying down to Ole Miss.” Bill couldn’t muster a statesman-like response that also happens to be true AND helpful to Obama. No wonder I find myself avoiding the media entirely! I feel like I’m living in an alternate universe.