Political Punch
Power, pop, and probings from ABC News Senior White House Correspondent Jake Tapper

« Previous | Main | Next »

Bill: I Never Attacked Obama

February 08, 2008 1:43 PM

In an interview with WCSH Channel 6 at Becky's Diner in Portland, Maine, former President Bill Clinton said that he never attacked Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois.

Watch HERE.

Former President Clinton was asked, "Do you have any regrets about the way you have conducted yourself on the campaign trail in the past months...about anything you've said or done?"

"Well, everything I have said has been factually accurate," Clinton said. "But I think the mistake that I made is to think that I was a spouse like any other spouse who could defend his candidate.

"I think I can promote Hillary but not defend her because I was president. I have to let her defend herself or have someone else defend her.

"But, lot of things that were said were factually inaccurate. I did not ever criticize Senator Obama personally in South Carolina. I never criticized him personally...and it was just this myth grew up.

"And I had two African-American members of Congress who were supporting Hillary who were with me the whole time I was there. And they were bewildered, they went on every cable show that would take them to tell they didn't know what the people were talking about.

"But I think whenever I defend her I (a) risk being misquoted and (b) risk being the story....I learned a very valuable lesson from all that dust-up."

The former president also said that he's "not surprised" that the election is so close. "About a year ago I told Hillary…'I think you'll have a difficult time winning the nomination,'" but if she does, she'll go on to win in November.

The Obama campaign disputes the notion that he never attacked Obama, or that his comments were all factually accurate.

Said Obama campaign spokesman Bill Burton, "I think that the former President's words and the results in South Carolina speak for themselves."

- jpt

February 8, 2008 | Permalink | Share | User Comments (137)

User Comments

Feed You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post.

How about the $31 million donation from the Kazakhastan miner. First they said it was from multiple people. Only when it was proven did the Clintons admit who it was from.

How about the meeting at the Clinton's home in NY by Kazakhastan leaders to request support in purchasing stock in Westinghouse, who manufactures nuclear materials. This was first denied, and only admitted to when it was proven.

How about the support Bill Clinton gave to Dubai to purchase our ports?

What about the furniture they stole from the White House?

Oh, and the pardons for the Richs, that netted over a million dollar donations to the Foundation.

Posted by: Matt | Feb 9, 2008 1:29:29 PM

What did Bill say that wasn't true? How about calling Obama's stand against Iraq a fairy tale? He's stood against it from day 1, while Hillary has voted for military agendas, sometimes more strongly than Bush.

How about criticizing the press in IA after the press released the Clinton's own press release on kindergate?

How about denying that the Clinton's were playing the race card, when the their own campaign staff said they were.

How about all the surrogate name calling supported by the Clintons? Bill has never come out and criticized that.

How about the the court case to disenfranchise voters that Bill defended?

How about the present vote mailer running around from the Clintons, that doesn't explain that Obama's present votes were really at the urging of Planned Parenthood in support of women's choice?

This is too easy.

Posted by: Matt | Feb 9, 2008 1:22:49 PM

President Clinton is very well loved in my country and all over the rest of Africa.

I think he should say less during this campaign because he is likely to shoot himself in th efoot while offering his opponents more and more amunition to destroy his beloved legacy with.

Care must be taken about the amount of damage the Dems may do to themselves during this close race.

They must have a plan.

Obama's actions and words so far show that he has that picture in mind. The Clintons increasingly show that they may feel themselves more important than teh Democratic Party.

Posted by: Taj | Feb 9, 2008 11:52:31 AM

Both Clintons are not able to admit faults or wrong assessments. This actually disqualifies them as leaders. Bill lost his reputation, not because he tried pot, or had intercourse with Lewinsky. His reactions made him unreliable. Sentences like: " I didn't inhale." are ridiculous and put him between dumb-ass and spineless. And then he tried to redefine the concept of "Sexual Relation" - give me a break. This is a kind of "cleverness" and experience I am fed up with.

Posted by: Mike | Feb 9, 2008 11:50:54 AM

Instead of getting all these comments from Bill, I wish one of you spineless reporters asked him why while he, as he claims, opposed the war in Iraq from the start, his wife vote for the resolution titled "authorization for military action in Iraq"?

Posted by: Yiannis | Feb 9, 2008 10:37:54 AM

Please continue to interview Bill more and more... because Bill is the only one that speaks the facts as he stated. He has made it crystal clear what a vote for Hillary would really mean. Hillary is definitely not what Americans need as a President; just like Bush (people were blindfold). Bill will continue to wake people up. If it weren't for Bill in the forefront, I too would have made a big mistake. I thank Bill for promoting his wife campaign and defending her as he stated.

Posted by: wahs2008 | Feb 9, 2008 10:17:16 AM

HONESTLY...C'MON AMERICA: YOU DON'T JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER! YES, BILL CLINTON WAS UNFAITHFUL, BUT THAT PROVES THAT HILLARY IS FORGIVING! I DON'T AGREE THAT BILL SHOULD BE BACKING HER CAMPAIGN BECAUSE HE SO DISLIKED, BUT I DO BELIEVE THAT HUSBAND AND WIFE SHOULD BE UNITED! AND THEY ARE! SHE IS NOT LIKE HIM, IF YOU ARE AT ALL EDUCATED ON THIS 2008 ELECTION YEAR! OBAMA WILL BRING THE WRING KINDA CHANGE, AND IT WILL HIT US ALL LIKE A TON OF BRICKS! AND NO BILL AND HILLARY HAVE NOT BEEN TO WAR, BUT MY BROTHER IS AND IM MORE THAN READY FOR HIM TO BE SAFE! SO DO THE RIGHT THING AND THINK BEFORE YOU SPEAK!

Posted by: Melody | Feb 9, 2008 10:16:05 AM

How can Americans be so stupid? You talk abt Change, Unity, Iraq etc., where the main issues here that need to be addressed are your domestic problems such as firearms,homeless people, drugs and racial problems. Also,listen to the rest of the world where most ppl hates US for what it has become, compared to 2o years ago. The next president should be smart, articulate, and knows how to make the necessary changes needed to put US back as on tract..both domestically and internatinally. So, be smart..no more Bushs and Clintons! Don't be so dumb.. Vote for Obama!

Posted by: benB | Feb 9, 2008 9:13:46 AM

I am a democrat and I would like a democrat becomes the next president.
If the clinton's say something about obama. Obama cries foul. But when obama criticize the Hillary clinton it was ok and she should not cry foul. OBAMA it is politics you know that. You are intelligent man(?) you should know what you signed yourself into. This just primaries, it will get ugly when you will be competing with the republicans. So OBAMA get out now because we do not have time for whinning. We need time for action to resolve our country's problem.
And you haven't really presented substance of your campiagn but CHANGE. Do you know that change is constant? So your campaign is saying you will do change when change happens themselves. So what are you going to do at the white house???????

Posted by: fragile | Feb 9, 2008 6:18:12 AM

Clinton Tactics Hold No Bounds! No family member of someone running for Office should be calling any Super Delegates!
And you hillary backers that are whining about chelsea, she is a grown lady now, once she decided to enter the Political field, she is open for the comments that go along with the territory! If the Clintons dont want reporters making comments about Chelsea then tell her stay out of the campaign!

Posted by: Demo Rules | Feb 9, 2008 6:00:35 AM

Office should be calling any Super Delegates!
And you hillary backers that are whining about chelsea, she is a grown lady now, once she decided to enter the Political field, she is open for the comments that go along with the territory! If the Clintons dont want reporters making comments about Chelsea then tell her stay out of the campaign!

Posted by: Demo Rules | Feb 9, 2008 5:56:15 AM

I'd like to know if people are really serious about this election or are they just writing in to test out their ignorance? If they put as much effort into change like they say, we might just have a part of our world that was not so good lately, restored along with a little faith in ourselves and themselves. One man's word against another or one man's word with the other commenting on it, kept to himself?

Posted by: lukout09 | Feb 9, 2008 4:21:35 AM

I don't think anyone seriously expects that the legions of lifelong Democrats the Clintons have managed to alienate during this campaign are just going to troop obediently into the voting booths to pull the lever for them in November, should Hillary be the nominee. She has no chance against John McCain, and her campaign is leading our party into disaster.

Posted by: quill | Feb 9, 2008 3:43:12 AM

So Billy tries hard to defend himself, it is up to the people to decide, he has pleased "innocence" before and he has the face to accuse BARACK OBAMA of fairy tales?

Only one democratic candidate can overcome McCain and that is BARACK OBAMA - Billy & Hilary The Dynasty are the past not the Future UNITED States of America.

Posted by: John B Sheffield | Feb 9, 2008 2:52:27 AM

It's been said that truth has no value to Bill Clinton, but I'm learning not to hold it against him too much since he does not seem to know what the word means.

Posted by: History | Feb 9, 2008 2:49:04 AM

I left a message on the main SC paper blog two days before the Primary telling the people of SC that it was their opportunity to send a strong message to the rest of America that they did not condone the sort of tactics and behavior that the Clinton's were using. I said that if they didn't want to vote for Obama, they should vote for Edwards instead. I've since seen white voters from SC on the blogs saying this is exactly what they had intended with their vote - to send a message of condemnation for the Clinton behavior. Good on SC!

Posted by: Jay4Obama | Feb 9, 2008 2:22:13 AM

I cant believe this but I am pretty sure Bill is correct. He didn't "personally" attack Obama he did attack the perceptions of Obamas campaign by the media and Obamas campaign. That said the fact remains Bill you are a former president and equally it is the perceptions of the intent of your comments upon which you were judged. A fine line thing. Consider this I like green people but I would never vote for a green person. You didn't say it but that doesn't mean you didn't mean it.

Posted by: oh well | Feb 9, 2008 2:02:45 AM

This guy has shown that lying is his stock-in-trade. I'm in no way an Obama supporter, but for Bill Clinton to lie about his Obama attacks is just despicable. Bill and Hilary Clinton are two power hungry morons. Bill's stupid and futile attempts to use legalism (like he did in the Monica Lewinsky fiasco) just makes him look like an idiot and it totally belies his supposedly smart brain.

Posted by: Gbenga | Feb 9, 2008 1:46:37 AM

"I never attacked Obama."
"I never inhaled."
"I never had sexual relations with that woman".

And let's not even get into Bill's definition of the word "is".

Yet another reason we need change.
Obama 2008.

Posted by: janet | Feb 9, 2008 1:32:56 AM

If the role of the youth movement supporting Obama (and other new voters) is downplayed (read, disenfranchized), the very political future of the Democratic party and, beyond that, America will suffer. If the circle of those involved politically shrinks, if those just beginning to consider involvement are made to feel that their voices are irrelevent and are thus polarized towards apathy, the returns we can expect from our elected leadership will similarly decrease...America will go the way of other nation states that failed to garnish the full support of its masses to solve problems and will fall prey to group think and, ultimately, will slide into stagnation then disorder when faced with serious challenges down the road. Obama realizes that no president, no cabinet, nor party can stand alone as the author and implementor of policy...the people also need to be involved in order for America's greatness or even survival to be guaranteed...only then can the crisis of decline be avoided.

Posted by: PalatinePup | Feb 9, 2008 1:13:57 AM

Post a comment





 

POLITICAL VIDEOS