WHY THE CLINTONS DESPISE OBAMA

Can Bill Clinton support Obama? He certainly can PRETEND to do so. But he can't -- in good conscience -- support a man who although with his surrogates and media toadies labeled his wife a warmonger, a liar, and a racist. He especially can't endorse a man who, along with his top advisers, branded Bill Clinton himself a racist. Seemingly, just about anything is possible in politics, but some things that are possible are not plausible -- such as forgiving a former opponent for despicable conduct.

The following CNN story suggests why you should take with a grain of salt any suggestion of an endorsement of Obama by the Clintons. A man who plays the worst form of racial politics, Obama, should not be a serious candidate for President.

Bill Clinton: Obama camp 'played the race card on me'

Posted: 10:27 AM ETFrom CNN Political Producer Alexander Marquardt, CNN's Chris WelchFormer president Clinton campaigned for his wife in Pennsylvania recently.(CNN) — On the eve of Tuesday’s critical Pennsylvania primary, former President Bill Clinton accused Barack Obama’s campaign of playing the race card against him.

After the phone interview with Delaware radio station WHYY Monday night, a stray comment of his on the issue was also recorded before he hung up: “I don’t think I should take any s*** from anybody on that, do you?”


The former president had been asked whether his remarks comparing Obama’s strong showing in South Carolina to that of Jesse Jackson in 1988 had been a mistake given their impact on his wife Hillary Clinton’s campaign.


“No, I think that they played the race card on me,” said Clinton, “and we now know from memos from the campaign and everything that they planned to do it all along.”

“We were talking about South Carolina political history and this was used out of context and twisted for political purposes by the Obama campaign to try to breed resentment elsewhere. And you know, do I regret saying it? No. Do I regret that it was used that way? I certainly do. But you really got to go some to try to portray me as a racist.”

He added that the way Obama’s campaign had reacted was “disrespectful to Jesse Jackson” and that the former presidential candidate had told him he was not offended, and that “we all know what’s going on."

UPDATE: At a Pittsburgh press availability,Obama was asked about Clinton's charge that his campaign had drawn up plans to use 'the race card.'

Hold on a second,’’ he said. “So former President Clinton dismissed my victory in South Carolina as being similar to Jesse Jackson and he is suggesting that somehow I had something to do with it? You better ask him what he meant by that. I have no idea what he meant. These were words that came out of his mouth. Not words that came out of mine.’"

PA Huckabee Backers: Support McCain

Note: This weekend (Saturday and Sunday) I'll be contacting people who supported Mike Huckabee for the Republican nomination. I'll be asking hundreds of such people to offer their full support (on their blogs and through contributions) to Senator John McCain. From all indications, Barack Obama will be the Democratic nominee. Senator Obama differs from Gov. Huckabee (and John McCain) on every major issue -- from the sanctity of life to the War on Terrorism. As Bill Clinton observed, John McCain has given everything imaginable to his country, "aside from giving his life." He deserves the support of all thoughtful Americans. (Within a few weeks, I'll be contacting supporters of Hillary Clinton and asking them to back John McCain in the general election.)

I'll be back with my regular columns on Monday. Thanks as always for visiting. Your comments are always welcome.

The following material is from Day 1 of John McCain's inspiring "Service to America" tour:

Where the McCain story begins - The family traditions of duty, honor and sacrifice shaped John McCain from an early age and guided his vision for the future. Meridian is the home of McCain Field named after John McCain's grandfather, an admiral in the U.S. Navy.
An excerpt from John McCain's speech in Meridian:

"A distant ancestor served on General Washington's staff, and it seems my ancestors fought in most wars in our nation's history. All were soldiers - both Henry and Bill McCain were West Pointers - until my grandfather broke family tradition and entered the Naval Academy in 1902. He was succeeded there by my father, then me, and then my son."

Click here to read more about day one, including John McCain's full speech, a blog report from the road and the day's video.

The following material is from Day 2 of John McCain's "Service to America" tour:

The Mark of a Man - John McCain describes "the mark of a man," the imprint left on his heart by a once-in-a-lifetime relationship with a teacher whose lessons shaped his ideas about right and wrong, compassion and forgiveness. Alexandria, VA, is the home of Episcopal High School where John McCain attended school.

An excerpt from John McCain's speech in Alexandria follows:

"I doubt I will ever meet another person who had the impact on my life that my English teacher at Episcopal High School did. But I know there are many Americans who should teach and could influence children as beneficially as he did me. All children should have a teacher like I had, who they remember when they have children and grandchildren as one of the most fortunate relationships in their lives."

Click here to read more about day two, including John McCain's speech, blog report from the road and the day's video.