Clinton and Obama: Buddies

The Washington Post
By Chris Cillizza  |  September 15, 2009
 
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/morning-fix/morning-fix-42-and-44-make-pea.html?wprss=thefix
 
President Obama will address the annual meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative next week, the latest in a series of public -- and private -- signs that he and former president Bill Clinton have made peace after a very rocky relationship during the 2008 campaign.

Obama will speak at the gathering -- a yearly get-together of those intimately involved in policy and public life -- on Tuesday in New York City, according to White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki.

In the past several weeks, the two men -- the 42nd and 44th president of the United States -- have been at each others' side repeatedly: attending the memorial services for the late Sen. Ted Kennedy as well as for legendary anchorman Walter Cronkite and dining out in New York City on Monday during Obama's visit to the Big Apple to deliver a speech on regulatory reform.

And, according to one White House aide, the relationship between the duo has grown warmer privately as well. "He has been a total team player," said the source. "He has been careful and respectful and has done a lot of behind the scene political stuff for us when we need [it]."

A Clinton confidante echoed that sentiment and added that the idea of a daggers-drawn relationship between the two men had long ago become nothing more than a media-driven fantasy.

"I think the detente was long-ago realized and accepted by everyone but the political press, who desperately need and want them to not get along," said the source.

That analysis overlooks, of course, the fact that there were real tensions between the two men for much of 2007 and 2008 as Obama battled then New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton for the Democratic nomination.

As recounted in "The Battle for America" -- the terrific diary of the 2008 campaign penned by Dan Balz and Haynes Johnson -- Bill Clinton was the lead attack dog (much to his detriment) during the early primary season and was arguing for a far more aggressive attack on Obama's credential behind the scenes.

The past history between the two men makes their budding friendship all the more fascinating. Reasons for the relationship are myriad -- from Clinton's desire/need to be near the political power center to Obama's recognition that Clinton's smarts and political skills are an asset to be utilized not ignored -- but the one most commonly given by those who know the two men best is that they are part of a very exclusive club of men who know what it's like to hold the most powerful job in the world (aside of course from being the author of The Fix).

A Clinton source called that shared experience a "big deal" in understanding the relationship between the two men, adding that the job is one "that literally only a handful of people on planet earth really understand." A White House aide describes the relationship as one of "genuine respect."

Regardless of the reasoning, the detente between the two most powerful and recognizable Democrats is a very good thing for the party. While Obama is clearly the head of the Demoratic party now, there remains a significant number of people -- voters, activists, operatives and donors -- who still take their marching orders from Bill Clinton.

With the political environment heading south in a hurry for Democrats, they will need all of their best players on the field in 2010 and especially 2012 if they want to make Obama only the third Democratic president to get re-elected in the post World War II era.