TENSION BENEATH THE SURFACE
August 25th, 2008, 11:12 am · Post a Comment · posted by Dan Lehr
This post, for now, will contain all things Clinton-related this week. Check back for later updates.
DENVER — As Democrats arrived here Sunday for a convention intended to promote party unity, mistrust and resentments continued to boil among top associates of presumptive nominee Barack Obama and his defeated rival, Hillary Rodham Clinton.
One flashpoint is the assigned speech topic for former president Bill Clinton, who is scheduled to speak Wednesday night, when the convention theme is “Securing America’s Future.” The night’s speakers will argue that Obama would be a more effective commander in chief than his Republican rival, Sen. John McCain (Ariz.).
The former president is disappointed, associates said, because he is eager to speak about the economy and more broadly about Democratic ideas — emphasizing the contrast between the Bush years and his own record in the 1990s.
This is an especially sore point for Bill Clinton, people close to him say, because among many grievances he has about the campaign Obama waged against his wife is a belief that the candidate poor-mouthed the political and policy successes of his two terms.
Also from the Politico, an comprehensive, essential read on how Obama beat Clinton in the primary season. Read “Relentless: How Obama Outsmarted Clinton” here.
UPDATE: Mon/2:08pm:
DENVER (AP) - Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama are working on a deal to give her some votes in the presidential nomination roll call, but end the divided balloting quickly with a unanimous consent for Obama.
Democratic officials involved in the negotiations say the idea is that at the start of the state-by-state roll call Wednesday night, delegates would cast their votes for Clinton or Obama.
But the voting would be cut off after a couple states, perhaps ending with New York, when Clinton herself would call for a unanimous backing for Obama from the convention floor.
