Bill: Hillary 2016 speculation is a lame topic right now. Oh, really?
Bill Clinton wants everybody to just cool it with all this speculation about whether Hillary will or will not run for president in 2016, OK?
His tone was slightly disapproving and high-minded when he discussed the Hillary situation Tuesday night during an appearance at the , a heady event sponsored by the Peter G. Peterson Foundation to explore ways of hauling the US government out of its deficit mess.
鈥淗illary hasn鈥檛 mentioned it to me,鈥� Mr. Clinton said after Bill Gates (yes, that Bill Gates) got the whole thing rolling with a wife-running-for-president-or-not reference.
Mrs. Clinton 鈥渋s having a little fun being a private citizen for the first time in 20 years,鈥� Mr. Clinton added.
Then he ripped into 2016 conjecture.听It鈥檚 鈥渢he worst expenditure of our time,鈥� he said.
Instead of wasting moments on will-she-or-won鈥檛-she, we should explore solutions to the nation鈥檚 fiscal and policy problems, according to the Clinton, who is an ex-president.
鈥淲e need to be worried about the work at hand 鈥� all of us do,鈥� Clinton said. 鈥淪o whoever the next president is has an easier set of choices before him or her to build America鈥檚 future.鈥�
Very nice, Bill. You鈥檙e full of it here, you know that?
We do need to be worried about the work at hand 鈥� that鈥檚 not the point. We can walk and chew gum at the same time. Mulling over Clinton-versus-Biden 2016 in no way eliminates the brain鈥檚 ability to consider chained CPI for Social Security.
In some ways those activities are complimentary. Candidates and possible candidates are weighing their chances and looking about to see what issues they should run on, and what their positions on those issues should be, writes the left-leaning 听Washington Post blog.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not too soon to be thinking about and working for the 2016 presidential nomination contest, because now is when it鈥檚 really possible to push the candidates on policy, which is what鈥檚 really important,鈥� writes Mr. Sargent.
Plus, Bill Clinton is just the kind of person who would enjoy speculating about Hillary鈥檚 chances if she were not related to him in any way.
Politics has been his life. It鈥檚 what鈥檚 for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Do you not think he knows the names of which Iowa Democratic Party county chairman support Hillary, and when their birthdays are? Of course he does. He probably doodles 鈥淗illary 2016鈥� logos on those note pads they put out at the conferences he now attends, when he鈥檚 not speaking.
And finally, one word: 鈥�Benghazi.鈥� It鈥檚 possible Bill is just trying to separate the image of Hillary the possible candidate from that of Hillary the ex-secretary of State on a day when House Republicans are holding a hearing that will be critical of her actions in regards to the Benghazi, Libya, attack that killed four Americans.
鈥淚 think the dam is about to break on Benghazi. We鈥檙e going to find people asleep at the switch when it comes to the State Department, including Hillary Clinton,鈥� (R) of South Carolina on his Facebook page Tuesday.
