Bill Clinton is the architect behind all of the new attacks from Hillaryland

[Herman Munster]

http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/ny-ushill1213,0,2146646.story

"There are two people who have come up with this strategy -- one Hillary Clinton and one Mark Penn," said a top Clinton ally, speaking on condition of anonymity. "Mark wanted to run her, basically, for re-election, and we are seeing what happened."

Said another Clinton camper: "The heat's on Mark. ... He's got a lot of enemies."

Penn didn't respond to requests for comment. Campaign spokesman Howard Wolfson downplayed the dissent.

Clinton's aides insist that no shake-up is imminent and that Penn still has her ear. But they concede Bill Clinton has taken a more active behind-the-scenes role as her campaign flags.

For months, tension has been building between the "Hillary" and "Bill" parts of the team, say several people familiar with the situation. Bill Clinton -- along with former White House hands, including Paul Begala, known jokingly as the "White Boys" -- have counseled her to adopt a far more aggressive approach with Obama.

Penn, sources say, has counseled moderation, believing an attack would elevate her already-high negatives and drive her too far to the left to win a general election.

[AlCzervik]

1. i bet Howard Wolfson is the one " speaking on condition of anonymity"

[Tellurian]

3. I'm thinking this is all propaganda coming from Axelrod, in Obama's camp..

I saw him on Tweety a while back. He looked like the proverbial sleaze campaign manager, dirty hair, rumpled shirt, like he went to the interview in the clothes he slept in the night before.

[AlCzervik]

5. i think many of them in various campaigns all have a certain amount of sleaze

not as bad as Lee Atwater but getting close.

[Tellurian]

20. Lee Atwater..wasn't he Roves mentor?

and a vile unscrupulous creature?

[AlCzervik]

21. yup and on his death bed he apologized to Mike Dukakis.

[ShockediSay]

25. As I recall, the 'Great American divide'

(rich getting richer and poor getting poorer)

was only aggravated by the Clinton Administration.

ENOUGH!!!

[AX10]

6. Axelrod was also a top adviser to corrupt sleazeking Richard Daley.

I would not be surprised to see all of this crap originating from Axelrod.

[IndianaGreen]

2. Poor Bill... He wanted so bad to be a mentor to a new crop of White House interns

too bad!

[Tellurian]

4. Hows that working for you..If only your motives were pure..

you would be doing something. I did catch your remark the other day saying you would do or say anything to make sure Hillary never receives the nomination... So guess what...your comments are irrelevant.

[IndianaGreen]

7. Will Hillarycamp try to sabotage Obama's campaign if he becomes the nominee

as they did John Kerry in 2004?

[Andromeda]

8. She won't have to.

If Obama wins the nomination he will do it to himself.

[AX10]

9. True.

[emilyg]

27. Yep.

[Tellurian]

10. If you believe the BLM crapola there is noting more to be said..

It's mental health week. Be a friend and see if treatment is available for obsessive behavior.

[Lord Helmet]

11. pot kettle black

[Tellurian]

18. How profound...

:crazy:

[Forkboy]

23. How true.

:think:

[gateley]

12. If this is accurate, I'm surprised -- I assumed that Mark Penn was behind the

negative push -- not Bill.

In the extended article, it mentions at one point she was 20 points ahead of Obama in Iowa.

Did the negative approach begin when that lead began to diminish? Or did it begin to dwindle after the campaign incorporated the negative stuff?

[aquart]

13. OR...are you simply believing any old crap that's posted

by people who are speculating with no inside knowledge whatsoever?

[gateley]

16. I prefaced my post with "if this is accurate", so no, I'm not believing any old crap. nt

[ecstatic]

14. The more people talk about the attacks, the more successful the attack is

It started as a "whisper," but the glaring meme is out now, and it will affect Obama's electability. How many threads today have the words "Obama" and "cocaine" in it? The damage is done. Right or wrong (obviously wrong), but as an observer, her line of attack was brilliant.

[Bitwit1234]

15. OH WELL, didn't think it would take this long to try to flame Bill also

Because he is campaigning for Hillary, well the best thing the Obama supporters think they can do is slur and flame him, to make people hate him also..

THIS WON'T WORK....BILL CLINTON IS TEN TIMES MORE POPULAR THAN OPRAH. And that's why they are trying to slur him...GO BILL KICK ASS SHOW THEM WHAT A REAL MAN IS LIKE not the panty waist slurring you around.

[IndianaGreen]

17. A real man does not have sex with a much younger subordinate employee

Bill Clinton is no different from Bob Packwood.

[Jim Sagle]

19. And you're no different than Matt Drudge.

[Tellurian]

22. I happened to see a poll today regarding the Oprah effect..

I couldn't get the jpg but the poll showed 55% of the people voting felt Oprah will have no effect on Obama's campaign, which was surprising. The results were based on that one question.

[Tarheel_Dem]

24. I'd like to see proof that Bill is, as you say.....

"TEN TIMES MORE POPULAR THAN OPRAH". Not trying to pick a fight here, but that's a pretty asinine claim if you can't back it up.

What I see happening, and I hope it doesn't, but I can see the Clintons alienating a good portion of the African American community if the campaign wants to mudsling. After all, when you sling mud you inevitably get some on yourself.

[Voltaire99]

26. Heh. With all due respect...

...Billy Boy couldn't teach Hillary a thing about ruthlessness.

Read "The Making of Hillary Clinton," by Nation columnist Alexander Cockburn:

http://www.counterpunch.org/cockburn11142007.html