Bill Clinton: Celebrity Versus Legacy

Charles Krauthammer writes:

There was general amazement when (the now-muzzled) Bill Clinton did his red-faced, attack-dog, race-baiting performance in South Carolina. Friends, Democrats and longtime media sycophants were variously perplexed, repulsed, enraged, mystified and shocked that this beloved ex-president would so jeopardize his legacy by stooping so low.

What they don't understand is that for Clinton, there is no legacy. What he was doing on the low road from Iowa to South Carolina was fighting for a legacy -- a legacy that he knows history has denied him and that he has but one chance to redeem.

Clinton is a narcissist but also smart and analytic enough to distinguish adulation from achievement.

A Record Turnout Predicted in South Carolina Democratic Primary

Associated Press reports:

COLUMBIA, S.C. - Democrats headed to the polls in South Carolina Saturday in an unusual contest that pitted Barack Obama against two Clintons. Race was a persistent subtext in the first primary to feature a large number of black voters.

So, now Barack is running against two Clintons, presumably Hillary and Bill. Not only that, but the press is again stating that this Democratic primary race is about race and gender.

South Carolina became a "must win" state for Obama, whose momentum from his victory in the Iowa caucuses Jan. 3 began to fade after he lost contests in Nevada and New Hampshire to Hillary Clinton. A victory could help reinforce Obama's co-frontrunner status with Clinton, while a loss would severely imperil his candidacy.

So, now Barack has lost momentum and must win South Carolina or, sheesh, he'll be out of the running for the presidency.

Polls showed Obama favored to win the state in large part due to his strong support among black voters, who are expected to comprise more than 50 percent of the electorate. The Illinois senator is running to be the first black president.

No kidding. But, don't forget that white voters support Barack, too.

The state Democratic Party chairwoman, Carol Fowler, predicted a record turnout.
Obama has made a direct appeal to blacks here after rarely mentioning race throughout the campaign. He'll continue that strategy going forward.

Dirty Politics: Telephone Message Berating Hillary and Bill

Just received a recorded telephone message from someone representing "all those who have been abused and mistreated by Hillary and Bill."

The male caller repeatedly asked me, "Can you trust her?" of Hillary Clinton.

He accused her of an amazing array of horrors, including having an affair with Ben Foster and "others in the White House."

He accused her of "making up a fairy tale of adopting a poor child" when "she knew Bill had a virtual harem of women in the White House."

The voice accused Hillary of "treating women like they are invisible."

Oddly, I do not care for Hillary Clinton, but this sort of tripe is below us as Americans. We should be able to speak openly about our differences without resorting to stabbing individuals in the back in such a personal manner.

The telephone message, if I recall correctly, was paid for by Morrow and____?

Day Before South Carolina Democratic Primary: Look for Bill Clinton to Get Angry

John Dickerson in SLATE writes:

Hillary Clinton has won the Nevada caucus, which means a few things about the Democratic race are now coming into focus. For example, mark on your calendar Jan. 25 for an outburst by Bill Clinton somewhere in South Carolina. He has launched a tirade the day before each of his wife's victories in Nevada and New Hampshire, claiming the process was unfairly stacked against her. If this keeps up, he's going to require a stretcher by the last primary in Oregon come May.

Bill Clinton was so angry because it got ugly at the end in Nevada. Democrats may have cooled down their flash war over race and gender earlier this week, but by the time the vote took place Saturday, each of the two top campaigns was flinging some very ugly charges about the other.

Bill Clinton At MUSC, Charleston, SC Dec 8th

Video of Bill Clinton visiting children at MUSC's Children's Hospital on Saturday, December 8th, 2007.

A Case Against the Clintons

posted at politburo diktat 2.0 by Stephen

Hillary Clinton and Extraordinary Rendition: What's Her Position?

What is Hillary Clinton's stand on Extraordinary Rendition?

why is she refusing to take a stand on secret prisons? Maybe it has something to do with the fact that these rendition camps began during the mid-90s under her husband's administration.

If she is elected president, the current policy could get modified a little bit. Waterboarding will almost definitely get banned. But when it comes to secret prisons in general, they will still exist under a Hillary administration.

ACLU Fact Sheet: Extraordinary Rendition

Fact Sheet: Extraordinary Rendition (12/6/2005)

Beginning in the early 1990s and continuing to this day, the Central Intelligence Agency, together with other U.S. government agencies, has utilized an intelligence-gathering program involving the transfer of foreign nationals suspected of involvement in terrorism to detention and interrogation in countries where -- in the CIA's view -- federal and international legal safeguards do not apply. Suspects are detained and interrogated either by U.S. personnel at U.S.-run detention facilities outside U.S. sovereign territory or, alternatively, are handed over to the custody of foreign agents for interrogation. In both instances, interrogation methods are employed that do not comport with federal and internationally recognized standards. This program is commonly known as "extraordinary rendition."

The current policy traces its roots to the administration of former President Bill Clinton. Following the attacks of September 11, 2001, however, what had been a limited program expanded dramatically, with some experts estimating that 150 foreign nationals have been victims of rendition in the last few years alone. Foreign nationals suspected of terrorism have been transported to detention and interrogation facilities in Jordan, Iraq, Egypt, Diego Garcia, Afghanistan, Guantánamo, and elsewhere. In the words of former CIA agent Robert Baer: "If you want a serious interrogation, you send a prisoner to Jordan. If you want them to be tortured, you send them to Syria. If you want someone to disappear -- never to see them again -- you send them to Egypt."

Who Created Extraordinary Rendition? Die Zeit Interviews Michael Scheuer

From Counter Punch:

Michael Scheuer left the CIA in November 2005 after 22 years of service. Between 1995 and 1999 he was responsible for a unit in charge of tracking down Osama bin Laden. Since 2000 he had been one of the principal anti-terrorism agents within the CIA. While he was still in service, he already wrote an essay criticizing the American anti-terrorism politics ("Imperial Hubris"). Within the CIA, Michael Scheuer is considered as being a detractor. He lives in Virginia with his family.This interview was conducted by the German newspaper Die Zeit.

Die Zeit: You have participated within the CIA in developing a system called « renditions » in the course of which presumed terrorists were abducted to foreign countries and handed over to third countries. Would you say that from the point of view of the CIA these "extraordinary renditions" were a successful undertaking?

Michael Scheuer: Absolutely. For ten years it had been the most successful anti-terrorism program in the USA.

Die Zeit: Why?

Michael Scheuer: Because its aims were clearly defined. First of all, we wanted to identify and put behind bars members and contact persons of the terrorist group Al-Qaida, particularly those having participated in an attack against the USA or an allied state or those who might be planning such an attack. The second goal was the confiscation of documents and electronic devices. The media affirms that we have arrested and abducted persons on the basis of presumptions in order to interrogate them. But this is not true.

Die Zeit: You thus did not wish to interrogate them?

Michael Scheuer: If we had the occasion to do so it was like the cherry on the cake. Basically, we only wished to arrest the person and confiscate his or her documents.

Die Zeit: Why?

Michael Scheuer: Our experience is that aggressive questioning bordering on torture does not achieve results. Persons interrogated in this way tell the agent anything he wishes to hear. Either they lie or they give us precise but obsolete information.

Die Zeit: Who invented the "extraordinary renditions" system?

Michael Scheuer: President Clinton, his security counsellor Sandy Berger and his terrorism counsellor Richard Clarke instructed the CIA in autumn 1995 to destroy Al-Qaida. We asked the president what we should do with the arrested persons? Clinton replied that this was our problem. The CIA indicated that they are not jailors. It was then suggested we find any solution whatsoever to this problem. And this is what we did, we established a procedure and I myself was part of this working group. We concentrated on those members of Al-Qaida who were wanted by the police in their respective countries of origin or those who had already been convicted during their absence.

More on Extraordinary Rendition: Signed into Law in 1995 by Bill Clinton

"Outsourcing Torture" from THE NEW YORKER

Extraordinary Rendition: Signed into Law in 1995 by Bill Clinton

Saw the movie RENDITION today and was surprised to hear Peter Skaarsgard's character tell Reese Witherspoon's character that Rendition began under the Clinton administration...