Bill Clinton's financial dealings are once again undermining one of Hillary's carefully calculated political stances...

LATimes:

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton has taken a strong public stance, calling for restraint in Tibet and urging President Bush to boycott the Olympics opening ceremonies in Beijing.

But her recent stern comments on China's internal crackdown collide with former President Bill Clinton's fundraising relationship with a Chinese Internet company accused of collaborating with the mainland government's censorship of the Web. Last month, the firm, Alibaba Inc., carried a government-issued "most wanted" posting on its Yahoo China homepage, urging viewers to provide information on Tibetan activists suspected of stirring recent riots.

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Bill just provided another example of the "I did not have sex with that woman -- It depends on what the meaning of 'is,' is," prevarication that he's infamous for.....

ABC

"A lot of the way this whole campaign has been covered has amused me," he said. "But there was a lot of fulminating because Hillary, one time late at night when she was exhausted, misstated and immediately apologized for it, what happened to her in Bosnia in 1995."

1. It was in 1996.

2. She told the tale several times in different places.

3. She didn't "immediately" admit it; and certainly never apologized for it.

Bill should have stayed retired from politics rather than drag his name back into the old mud.

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Hillary can pretend to fire Mark Penn over his back door dealing with the Colombian government, but can she pretend to fire her own husband?

In 2005, the former president was paid $800,000 by Gold Service International, a Bogota-based business development group, for four days of appearances in Mexico, Colombia and Brazil. The group supports, among other things, the Colombia Free Trade Agreement.

But does taking their money really mean Bill supports the trade deal? Apparently so....

A reader in Latin America turned up a June 23, 2005 article from the news portal Terra (reprinted (.doc) by the Bogota government) that quotes Bill Clinton offering unambiguous support for the free trade agreement with Colombia.

The article is in Spanish, so what follows is a translation of a translation, but the gist is unmistakable:

"We need your help to expedite the signing of the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the EU is very important to give a clear signal of what the relations between the two countries should be," President Alvaro Uribe said yesterday to the former president of the EU Bill Clinton, during Expogestion 2005.

"I will raise your point when you return to the United States," Clinton replied. "I am in favor of the free trade agreement and it is my hope that we will find the right formula to reach the agreement."

Maybe it depends on the meaning of "is?"

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Guess who criticized the Iraq Disaster first?

Obama because he opposed it before it even happened?

Nope. The goalpost has been moved...

Clinton on Saturday told Oregonians, "when Sen. Obama came to the Senate he and I have voted exactly the same except for one vote. And that happens to be the facts. We both voted against early deadlines. I actually starting criticizing the war in Iraq before he did... [emphasis added]

Scrambling to support their boss's claim, Clinton campaign officials pointed to a paper statement Clinton issued on Jan. 26, 2005, explaining her vote to confirm Condoleezza Rice as Secretary of State."

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Wow. This guy's been fired twice in one week!

It's always a good idea to fire your campaign manager two weeks before the biggest primary of your campaign -- right?

Joe Gandelman at the Moderate Voice hears the sounds of celebration at Clinton H.Q.: "There must be high-fives tonight in parts of the Clinton campaign infrastructure: reports have noted that many top Clintonistas felt Penn had given the Senator lousy advice and had not really had much experience running a campaign at this level. So, in reality, his departure could be a turning point -- a turning up for the Clinton campaign, or a turning down."

But is it just another deception from Camp Hillary?

Yet Gandelman suspects it may be largely window dressing: "But is he totally departing? News reports suggest he's stepping down but will still be in close touch with Clinton and the campaign -- raising the issue as to whether he's stepping down to lower the political heat or truly out as a key campaign adviser."

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When "electability" is a candidate's last desperate argument to superdelegates that they should overrule pledged delegates and overturn the popular vote, news like this has to be a stake in the heart.

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I'm not going bore everyone with my take on these numbers from the WSJ. They're self-explanatory.....

Key findings:

*Overall Favorability:

Clinton: 37% positive, 48% negative

Obama: 49% positive, 32% negative

*Favorability Rating Among Opponent's Supporters:

Clinton: 35% positive, 43% negative

Obama: 50% positive, 29% negative

*Can Unite the Country:

Clinton: 46%

Obama: 60%

*Shares Your Values:

Clinton: 43% yes, 57% no

Obama: 50% yes, 39% no

See the poll results (PDF)

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Frank Rich nails it again.

...and so the Democratic stars are rapidly aligning for disaster. Mrs. Clinton is no longer trying to overcome Mr. Obama's lead in the popular vote and among pledged delegates by making bold statements about Iraq or any other issue. Instead of enhancing her own case for the presidency, she's going to tear him down. As Adam Nagourney of The New York Times delicately put it last week, she is "looking for some development to shake confidence in Mr. Obama" so that she can win over superdelegates in covert 3 a.m. phone calls. If Mr. Wright doesn't do it, she'll seek another weapon. Mr. Obama, who is, after all, a politician and not a deity, could well respond in kind.

For Republicans, the prospect of marathon Democratic trench warfare is an Easter miracle. Saddled with the legacy of both Iraq and a cratering economy, the G.O.P. can only rejoice at its opponents' talent for self-destruction. The Republicans can also count on the help of a political press that, whatever its supposed tilt toward Mr. Obama, remains most benevolent toward John McCain.

This was strikingly apparent last week, when Mr. McCain's calamitous behavior was relegated to sideshow status by many, if not most, news media. At a time of serious peril for America, the G.O.P.'s presumptive presidential nominee revealed himself to be alarmingly out of touch on both of the most pressing issues roiling the country...

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Politico reports:

An aide to John McCain was suspended from the campaign today for blasting out an inflammatory video that raises questions about Barack Obama's patriotism.  

Soren Dayton, who works in McCain's political department, sent out the YouTube link of "Is Obama Wright?" on twitter at 12:31 today with the tag, "Good video on Obama and Wright." It has since been taken down.

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.....along with McCain. From bankruptcy, to NCLB, to Iraq, they both have voted in favor of the worst of Bush's agenda.

It's time for them to go.

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