Bill Clinton- Barack Obama is a Risk - Charlie Rose-Hillary

In a surprisingly frank interview with Charlie Rose on his PBS show late Friday night, former President Bill Clinton declared that his wife was not only far better prepared to be president than her chief rival Sen. Barack Obama -- "it's not even close" -- but that voters who disagreed would be taking a "risk" if they picked the latter.

Repeatedly dismissive of Obama -- which could come back to haunt the Clinton campaign -- the former president at one point said that voters were, of course, free to pick someone with little experience, even, he said, "a television commentator" who would have just "one year less" experience in national office than Obama.

He praised Obama's intelligence and "sensational political skills" but repeatedly suggested that, unlike his wife and some of the other candidates, he might not be ready for the job.

Later he said that his friends in the Republican party had indicated that they felt his wife would be the strongest candidate, partly because she had already been "vetted" -- another subtle slap at Obama.

Also: He said the most important thing to judge was who would be "the best agent for change" not merely a "symbol for change....symbol is not as important as substance."

"I guess I'm old fashioned," he said, in wanting a president who had actually done things for people. He said some people could "risk" taking someone who had served just a year in the Senate if they chose.

He also repeatedly drew a distinction between Obama's focus on "hope" and his wife's actual accomplishments. If a call had gone out from his wife's campaign to pull back any critiques of Obama, her husband clearly did not get the memo.

Clinton did say that he gets "tickled" watching Obama because of his attractiveness and political skills. "I like all these people," he said. "I have nothing bad to say about him or anyone else."

Category:

News & Politics

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• barack
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[rickllano]

@francisGish who?

[francisGish]

Obama is the best president ever

[JawsJaws]

Obama has done more to take away our liberties and freedom than any terrorist has.

[DDTphoenix]

what's up with the beginning

[philberz]

@HarryOrielly you're a fucking idiot. grow up and take off the tin foil hat

[HarryOrielly]

@philberz Alan Keyes is a decent man who graduated from Harvard he is brilliant- whereas Obama NEVER attended Columbia but when the Saudi Prince donated 20 million to the school- SHAZZAM obama's degree appears-

[philberz]

@RonaldBlair Alan keyes is batshit crazy.

[RonaldBlair]

the 3 biggest LIES by a president-

1. read my lips- no new taxes-

2. I didn't inhale- or have sex witn-

3. I just released my long form birth certificate-

Which one is the LIE of the century? Ask Alan Keyes or Pastor James David Manning-

They R decent men who will loudly state- OBAMA IS A FRAUD-

Alan Keyes even refuses to call him president and pastor Manning is shocked at his brazen audacity to FORGE a birth certificate and then put it on COFFEE-CUPS & T-SHIRTS for Democratic fundraisers-

[PJdreamer]

wtf is that shit at the beginning? damn

[msheidi1]

the liberal press got in bed with barack obama they are responsible for this horrible state of affairs this nation is in.