Even in Denver, Clintonian Rhetoric Leaves Door Open

Two recent news items demonstrate the one-two punch the Clintons bring — and the tightrope they are walking.

The first, from Major Garrett’s blog, The Bourbon Room (yes, you read that right), reports on a meeting led by Hillary Clinton’s former campaign manager, Maggie Williams. The message? If, at the end of the day, Hillary Clinton has not convinced you that Barack Obama is the best candidate for president, i.e., better than Hillary, Clinton supporters should vote their conscience. You know that means: Vote for Hillary.

That’s Punch One. Punch Two comes courtesy of The Hill’s own Sam Youngman with a story headlined “Bill Clinton in Denver again undercuts Obama.”

In his piece, Youngman quotes Clinton as saying, “Suppose you’re a voter, and you’ve got candidate X and candidate Y. Candidate X agrees with you on everything, but you don’t think that candidate can deliver on anything at all. Candidate Y you agree with on about half the issues, but he can deliver. Which candidate are you going to vote for?”

Clinton later added, “This has nothing to do with what’s going on now.”

Of course not.

To take Clinton or the campaign at their word asks voters to be so naive as to forget both Clintons’ eight years in the White House, 12 years in the governor’s mansion in Little Rock and, of course, Hillary’s eight years in the United States Senate.

The Clintons are pros, folks. They know what they’re doing.

Hillary Clinton knew what she was saying when she said, “I know Sen. McCain has a lifetime of experience that he will bring to the White House and Sen. Obama has a speech he gave in 2002.”

Bill Clinton knew what he was saying when he said media coverage of Obama was a “fairy tale.” (And he was right!)

Agree with them or not, the Clintons generally say what they meant to — they didn’t get where they are by luck.

In the next two nights, the Clintons’ words and body language will be examined to death. You’ll hear words like “unity,” “urge” and “support.” You may even hear the word “experience.”

But the most important word in following what both Clintons say and these next two nights will be unspoken. The word is nuance.

You’ll see the Clintons check all the boxes, even if they’re really trying to thread a needle.