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September 26, 2006
A Strategic Blow-Up
With just six weeks remaining before the 2006 midterm election, former President Bill Clinton lobbed a big political grenade over the weekend, once again displaying his Jedi status as a partisan warrior.
In a now much-publicized interview with Fox News' Chris Wallace that aired Sunday morning, the Big Dog went to town on the hapless Wallace, who's network was trying to sandbag Clinton with questions about the failure to get Osama Bin Laden while he was president. (The premise of the interview was to discuss Clinton's work on climate change.)
It seems Roger Ailes and his crew at Fox News forgot they were dealing with the greatest political talent of the last century. Clinton turned the interview around, forcefully defending his own record, while simultaneously hammering the right wing disinformation campaign responsible for smearing him.
This was no sandbagging, folks. Bill Clinton knew exactly what he was walking into, and masterfully turned it to his and other Democrats' advantage. Slate's John Dickerson captures exactly our thinking on the interview in a new online piece.
Bill Clinton understands that midterm elections are largely about motivating base voters, and with just over 40 days to go before the election, his spirited defense/attack will fan the flames of anger on the left against the right-wingers in charge.
Another great political performance from the master.
Posted by houtopia at September 26, 2006 10:48 AM