Saturday, April 19, 2008

For Clintons, a Time to Find Truest Friends

Momentum.

“There is a lot of Clinton fatigue in the party and in the country today, and many people are reacting to that,” said Tom Daschle, the former Democratic leader in the Senate, who is supporting Mr. Obama.

It's personal.

“These are people that the Clintons gave an opportunity to serve,” said Mr. Panetta, speaking generally. “They helped give them the titles they now have, and made them a lot of money. I think the Clintons probably feel they are owed something.”

Say what?

But the worst offenders, associates say, are former Clintonites who not only endorse Obama, but who also publicly criticize Mrs. Clinton’s campaign as they do so. Mr. Craig, a former law school classmate of Mrs. Clinton’s, became a charter member of this club when he wondered aloud (to Jonathan Alter of Newsweek) “if Hillary’s campaign can’t control Bill, whether Hillary’s White House could.”

Deeply personal. Who is owed loyalty? And, just what is loyalty? The Clintons define it as doing their bidding.

Mr. Kerry, however, endorsed Mr. Obama shortly after the New Hampshire primary, even though, according to two sources close to the Clintons, he had promised Mrs. Clinton he would not. (“Totally inaccurate,” a Kerry spokesman said, a point confirmed by two people privy to the conversation.)

Who's right?

He [Kerry] then publicly criticized Mr. Clinton’s conduct before the South Carolina primary. “And he was dead to us,” said one prominent Clinton supporter who is, in his words, “not authorized to trash Kerry on the record.”

Nice: not trash him for the record.

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