I think Kennedy's endorsement had almost nothing to do with this comment, for whatever it's worth.

It's hard to tell from the clip but I guess it's possible there was more to the question.  Still, no real proof without the video.

Ted's been waiting for any excuse to endorse him- that's fine- no one thinks he would endorse someone who could actually WIN- Caroline is a great one, though- but not Ted.

They did make it appear as if he said it out of the blue- it all kinda sux but we have to have faith.

on fighting.  They want a dog fight and will do what ever they can to have one.  Bill is clever enough to know that - I guess they got him this time.  

Kennedy's endorsement has little to do with the comment - it has been coming for awhile.

Dunno how I will get that.  Trying to get this story out to people that might have that kind of ability.

Do have a link to the clip you saw? It's hard to base an opinion without seeing the clip for ourselves.

I'm looking for a clip with the rest of it.  This was from a comment at TPM that did not have an e-mail address with it.

Gonna have to hold off on believing this until I get a primary source.

Well, hopefully intrepid bloggers like Josh Marshal will be able to track down the unedited clip....if he cares to, that is.

The New York Times is reporting that Ted Kennedy informed Obama of his intention to endorse on Thursday, which would be two days before Clinton made the Jesse Jackson comment.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/27/us/pol itics/27cnd-campaign.html?hp

this over at DailyKos... now.

Do you have a copy of the original uncut clip? If so.. post it.

Bill Clinton needs to shut up. He's digging Hillary's grave stupid statement by stupid statement.

Being supportive is one thing. Talking silly is another.

Bill has been out-manuevered by the media. Now he has dug in his heels and won't shut up and sit down. He was baited back in the Monica days and it's happened again. He never said anything approaching racism, doesn't have a racist bone in his body, yet he's wasting all of this energy and time fighting with these nuckleheads.

Damage is done. I see Obama leads in CO over on TPM.

Furthermore this could point to how Hil would govern as Pres. Would Bill be allowed to screw up negotiations or an important domestic bill?

For the first time, my husband, who has always been a staunch supporter of Bill, has said he should shut up. He was upset by the Jesse comment.

I want Al Gore to endorse Hillary.  Can't someone make that happen?

I think there is something to this considering what Bill said right after the question was asked.

Does anyone know who the reporter is? What station he works for? Anything? The guy who left the comment seems pretty sure of himself. Anyone reading this who has a media contact or knows of a way to bring this to someone's attention....please do something if you care about the TRUTH.

If the poster at TPM is correct, there were 2 questions, which makes more sense because why would Bill bring up Jesse Jackson out of the blue if the question was merely (as shown):  "What does it say about Barack Obama that it takes 2 of you to beat him?" It really doesn't make sense.

If you watch the clip up at YouTube, Bill starts out  with a laugh and says, "That's just bait, too, Jesse Jackson won South Carolina twice..."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qqd2dfjl2 pw&eurl=http://andrewsullivan.theatl antic.com/

From AP:

Clinton campaign strategists denied any intentional effort to stir the racial debate. But they said they believe the fallout has had the effect of branding Obama as "the black candidate," a tag that could hurt him outside the South.

It would still be a stupid response. Here's the correct answer:

Q: Can Obama win as a black candidate?

A: Yes. I believe that this contest will be decided based on the character, judgment, leadership skills, and experience of the candidates. Race doesn't matter.

Bill Clinton made a really bone-headed comment. Simple as that.

And as for this wild-eyed theory of yours, remember which network interviewed Bill Clinton to get that answer from him --- ABC News. George Stephanopoulos, an ex-Clintonite had Barack on this morning and asked him about Bill's comment. You really think George and ABC News didn't do their research before George's his condemnation of Bill? If anything, Stephanopoulos won't stand for his former boss to get attacked like this.

Another thing -- Why is the Clinton campaign, masters at spin and damage control, so silent? Must be the truth to large to spin this time around.

The truth can be silencing sometimes. And this is a prime, caught red-handed, dog-whistling remark from the former 'first black president', Bubba Clinton. A shameless, disgusting comment from someone most of us used to respect. How times have changed.

without using the word "traitor"...how the f did i do that!?

From http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar/ 2008/01/clinton-camp-do.html

This might be the question before the current question:

Clinton bristled when asked to react to Kerry's statement, noting he respects John Kerry and has supported him in the past.

"This is just part of politics," Clinton said.  "We should just not take the bait and go on and make our cases."

The only thing that's a fairy tale is Bill Clinton's life...

dont post as two people in the same thread. its unbecoming.

Regardless of what the question was, I don't understand why the answer is controversial, even if it is a bit of a non sequitur.

Race is a strange subject in our political discourse. Everyone is aware of its importance, but nobody is allowed to talk about it.

No wonder we can't make much progress--it's the subject that must not be named.

Well apparently, Jesse Jackson was not upset with Bill's comments if he made them according to the NY Times.

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/ 01/28/jackson-not-upset-by-clinton-remar ks/

I just saw Rep. Kendrick Meek on MSNBC and I believe he said that he was campaigning with Bill when he made these comments. I think he said that Bill was asked about historical black candidates. I wasn't fully paying attention, so maybe you could try to contact the Congressmen's office?