6 of 10

Write now Article Tools

Bill Clinton is in kind of a bind regarding his wife, Hillary Clinton, who is seeking the Democratic presidential nomination in 2008. From observing him and knowing his character, he desperately wants to be back in the White House and be close to the seat of political power in this country. However, in the back of his mind, his gaffes on the campaign trail might be done purposefully because he secretly wants Hillary to lose.

Throughout their tumultuous marriage, they have been in competition with one another. They had an agreement that each were to become president during their lifetimes. Obviously, Bill has succeeded with winning two terms to the Oval Office and now, it's Hillary's turn to enter the highest political office in the nation.

Hillary and Bill crave positive attention from the news media. Both want to be praised for their various policies but they also want to be liked personally too. However, the mainstream news media in this country has grown tired of the Clinton's. Like it or not, they want a fresh, new face to the political scene. Enter Barack Obama.

The Clinton's are considered ''old news'' by the media. They want Obama to be president. A biracial candidate is perfect for today's demographics. He is the perfect 21st century political news story.

Since Obama is half-black, it's only natural that the news media would severely criticize and condemn Bill Clinton's remark in South Carolina that the only reason that Obama won is because of his race. After all, Jesse Jackson, a black civil rights leader, won the South Carolina Democratic presidential primary in 1984 and 1988 when he was running for president. Maybe so, but Hillary Clinton was leading among blacks prior to the beginning of the primary and caucus season in January 2008.

Although I don't consider it to be a major issue, it appears that Bill and Hillary Clinton don't always agree on political issues. Hillary's opposition to the Columbian free trade agreement is an example of this. Bill favors it and she says that she opposes it. She might be doing this for political reasons because she knows that many states and their workers have been hurt by NAFTA and free trade in general.

However, the media gleefully reports this and it makes Bill and Hillary look bad. According to them, they should agree on everything.

The fact that Bill Clinton craves positive attention or just attention overshadows Hillary. As an ex-president, he will always be covered by the media. Until recently, he wasn't about to fade away on the campaign trail. He has only recently stayed in the background because polling results showed that he was hurting her politically.

It's going to be tough for Hillary to wrest the nomination from Obama but Bill Clinton has to stay in the background and let Hillary run her own campaign. She has to stand on her own as much as possible.

Learn more about this author, David Giza.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

Add your voice

Know something about US elections 2008: Assessing Bill Clinton's negative impact on Hillary's campaign?
We want to hear your view. Write now!