On Second Thought, Never Mind….

Hillary Clinton, having made herself look like a clueless fool by suggesting Barack Obama would make a great vice-president when (a) Obama is the likely nominee for president; and (b) Clinton has been proclaiming for weeks that Obama does not have the experience to be president (which, duh, the vice-president must have), is now backpedaling with all her might:

Should we call it “the trial balloon that quickly popped?” New York Senator Hillary Clinton, whose bigwig supporters — including her husband Bill — have touted a Clinton-Obama Democratic ticket’s glories is now expressing surprise that the talk (which started from her side) has taken on “a life of its own.”

It was given life by the Clinton side, Obama repeatedly and today bluntly turned it down and pointed out the contradictions between talking about him for No. 2 when Clinton has called him unprepared to answer a red phone and not yet “over the threshold” (like her and GOP future nominee Sen. John McCain.) So now you get this exchange between Clinton and ABC News’ Jake Trapper:

Her answer was quite strange, considering it’s been her camp fueling this buzz.

TAPPER: “Senator, how do you reconcile your suggestion that maybe Senator Obama would be appropriate to be on a Clinton-Obama ticket while at the same time you are suggesting that he isn’t prepared to be commander-in-chief?”

CLINTON: “Well this thing has really been given a life of its own. You know, a lot of Democrats like us both and have been very hopeful that they wouldn’t have to make a choice, but obviously Democrats have to make a choice and I’m looking forward to getting the nomination. And it’s premature to talk about whoever might be on whose ticket, but I believe that I am ready to serve on day one.”

Uh-huh.

Obama on Clinton VP Offer: “They Are Trying To Hoodwink You.”

This “dream ticket” idea that Hillary Clinton threw out is just another example of her cluelessness in this campaign. What was she thinking when she made that “offer”? Didn’t she realize how ridiculous it made her look, telling the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination that she might ask him to be vice-president? And did she really never consider how laughable it was for her to suggest that Barack Obama might make a good vice-president when she has been hammering on at every opportunity about his lack of experience and his unpreparedness to be president?

I’ve been waiting for Obama himself to point this out, and now he has:

Stumping Monday in Mississippi, Obama countered the Clintons with strong language and no uncertain terms.

“With all due respect: I have won twice as many states as Senator Clinton; I have won more of the popular vote than Senator Clinton; I have more delegates than Senator Clinton,” Obama said. “So I don’t know how someone in 2nd place is offering the vice presidency to the person in first place.”

Obama also hit the Clintons for calling in to question his experience for the job of commander-in-chief while suggesting him for the #2 spot.

“I don’t understand,” Obama said. “If I’m not ready how come you think I’d be such a great VP?”

According to Tom Daschle, Clinton’s offer is all but unprecedented:

On Sunday’s Meet the Press, former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, who has endorsed Obama’s presidential run, called Clinton’s floating of Obama as VP a “really a rare occurrence — maybe the first time in history — that the person who is running number two would offer the person who is running number one the number two position.”

Greg Sargent has the complete transcript of the remarks excerpted in the ABC News article. Here’s part of it:

With all due respect, I’ve won twice as many states as Sen. Clinton. I’ve won more of the popular vote than Sen. Clinton. I have more delegates than Sen. Clinton. So, I don’t know how somebody who’s in second place is offering the vice presidency to the person who’s in first place. [Long applause.]…

But there’s a second point. This is an interesting point — I want you guys to follow me on this. You know Pres. Bill Clinton, back in 1992, when he was being asked about his selection for vice president, he said, “The only criteria, the most important criteria for vice president, is that that person is ready, if I fell out in the first week, that he or she would be ready to be the commander-in-chief.” That was his criteria.

Now, they have been spending the last two, three weeks — you remember that advertisement with the phone call, telling everybody, getting all the generals to say well we’re not sure he’s ready, “I’m ready on day one, he may not be ready yet.”

But I don’t understand. If I’m not ready, how is it that you think I should be such a great vice president? Do you understand that?

See, I was trying to explain to someone the “okey-doke.” Y’all know the okey-doke? It’s when someone’s trying to bamboozle you, when they’re trying to hoodwink you. They are trying to hoodwink you. You can’t say that he’s not ready on day one, unless he’s willing to be your vice president and then he’s ready on day one.

TPM put up the video on YouTube; here it is:

Hypocrisy – Yes. Trust – No.

The New York Times has this story up about the Governor of New York, Eliot Spitzer. Normally, private conduct is one’s own business and has no place in the public square. But this is not a normal situation. I mean there is a fair amount of irony in the Governor getting caught using a prostitution service when he made his career prosecuting that very same business.

But the trust issue is where I want to head with this post. Governor Spitzer damaged a bond, a trust, with me and the rest of the public when he broke his marriage vows. Some readers may think my views as quaint and old fashioned. But if Gov. Spitzer can cheat on his wife why should we trust him with public office.

I am calling for Governor Spitzer to resign.

Thought of the Day

Room temperature IQ = Neo-con

Chief