Lesson for Obama: Don鈥檛 give the microphone to Bill Clinton
President Obama may be having second thoughts about bringing Bill Clinton to the White House to talk about the tax-cut deal with Republicans 鈥� at least about having the former president join him for an impromptu appearance in the press room Friday.
Obama鈥檚 been trying to convince fellow Democrats that the agreement with the GOP on tax issues and unemployment compensation is the best he could get given the 鈥渟hellacking鈥� their party took in the midterm elections, both for the economy and politically 鈥� especially with an eye to 2012.
There鈥檚 been a minor revolt among House Democrats, who could be heard chanting 鈥淛ust say no!鈥� in a behind-closed-doors meeting. Meanwhile, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I) of Vermont (who caucuses with Democrats) spent eight hours in a personal mini-filibuster railing against the deal Friday.
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So Obama brought in Clinton as a political bigfoot and skilled orator to make the case. And orate Clinton did.
But the White House cannot have been pleased with how the last-minute press conference was reported. A sample of headlines: 鈥淏ill Clinton Takes Back The White House,鈥� 鈥淏ill Clinton seizes control of White House press room,鈥� and 鈥淥bama exits, Clinton keeps talking.鈥� Or this one in particular: 鈥淗anding Clinton the Mic: A Sign of Obama's Confidence? Or Desperation?鈥� Ouch.
Obama made a few remarks, then turned the podium over to Clinton. Obama eventually left for a White House Christmas party (he鈥檇 kept Michelle waiting), but Clinton held forth for another half hour 鈥� ranging not only over the tax-cut deal but Haiti, relations with China, the START nuclear weapons treaty with Russia, and energy policy.
Here鈥檚 a sampling of journalistic reviews鈥�.
Alex Pareene at Salon: 鈥淪uddenly, Bill Clinton was the president again, in what was one of the weirdest White House Friday night newsdumps I have ever witnessed.鈥�
Dan Balz at the Washington Post: 鈥淎fter brief remarks by Obama, Clinton slid behind the lectern as if he'd never left the building. For a time it looked like he might never leave, as he fielded questions from a White House press corps eager to keep him as long as it could. He stroked his chin. He folded his arms and looked pensive. He gesticulated expansively. He was part professor and full politician enjoying the spotlight.鈥�
Peter Baker at the New York Times: 鈥淏y the end of last week, it certainly looked as if Barack Obama had outsourced his presidency to Bill Clinton. First, he cut a Clintonian-style deal with Republicans on tax cuts and then he literally turned over the White House lectern to his predecessor.鈥�
And this particularly biting report from Time magazine鈥檚 White House correspondent Michael Scherer:
鈥淐ount this among the greatest miscalculations of President Obama's career: 鈥業'm going to let him speak very briefly,鈥� Obama said Friday, upon introducing Bill Clinton in the White House briefing room for his triumphant, self-adulating return. Clinton, a former president who still pines for the limelight, did not speak very briefly鈥�. For the first part of Clinton's performance, Obama, the current president, who never acts so freely in the briefing room, calling on reporters at will, stood by stoically watching the spectacle. The television cameras cut Obama out of the shot, making it look for most of the world like Clinton was again president, holding forth before the presidential seal.鈥�
There鈥檚 an old saying in Washington: 鈥淭he most dangerous place is between a politician and a camera.鈥� (Most often applied to Sen. Chuck Schumer.) Maybe that鈥檚 the real reason Obama ducked out of the Friday press conference with Clinton.
