Clinton, Obama and the Politics of High School

Posted on Aug 27, 2008

Flickr / World Economic Forum, iowapolitics.com

The Washington Post takes an in-depth look at all the petty, childish and absurd reasons Bill Clinton and Barack Obama don’t get along. Among them: Not enough “phone calls on a somewhat regular basis.” Of course this is probably one of those minor rifts that the media exaggerate for the sake of ratings. Remember how Hillary Clinton was supposed to lead a rebellion at the convention?

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Washington Post:

When the former president takes the convention stage tonight on the eve of Obama’s historic nomination, seizing however briefly the undivided attention of his party and the nation, he intends to do what is expected of him, according to many friends and associates, and try to convince the public that Obama has the toughness and wisdom to be commander in chief. But though the speech might be as important to Clinton as it is to Obama, those close to him say he will deliver it with lingering feelings of estrangement that have surprisingly little to do with the fact that Obama defeated his wife in the primaries.
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“Obama does not like Clinton, and Clinton knows it,” asserted one longtime Clinton adviser, a refrain that several compatriots repeated almost word for word, though occasionally in stronger terms.

[...] Clinton associates, long familiar with his habits and rhythms, say it would take little more than phone calls on a somewhat regular basis to keep him satisfied. Attention has always been Clinton’s lifeblood. “We all know that he wants to be loved. Just call him. Call him any time of day or night,” said one associate. “Talk to him about anything. Talk to him about the Olympics or what he thinks about a certain congressional district or even about the New York Times Sunday crossword puzzle. Obama could even put the phone in a drawer and just let President Clinton talk away. It wouldn’t take much. It could be so easy.”

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