Al Hunt: Interview With Bill Clinton

Interview With Bill Clinton
By Al Hunt

(Note: the following is a rush transcript of an interview with Bill Clinton that will air this weekend on Political Capital with Al Hunt on Bloomberg Television.)

MR. HUNT: We know where you stand on the Democratic race for president, but handicap the Republican race now that you see --

PRES. CLINTON: I can't tell. I think that they wanted to vote for Thompson because they saw in him someone whose culture was conservative and who was, kind of, had a great manner and that macho stuff you know they love, and was vague enough so that you could read whatever you wanted to in him and maybe he could
sop up some of the moderate vote; that's what they had with President Reagan in 1980, that's what they had with President Bush in 2000 -- that brilliant, compassionate conservative slogan.

But then he minimized the threat of Osama bin Laden and said he didn't know where he stood on the Schiavo case and I think on a case like that, being for it or against it, anything is better than not knowing.

So, you've got this curious situation where Romney is leading in a pretty strong position apparently in Iowa and New Hampshire. He's the better cultural fit for Iowa than Mayor Giuliani, and he's closer to New Hampshire being the
former governor of Massachusetts than Mayor Giuliani. But he is running fourth or third in all the national polls.

I also think Giuliani so far has proved more durable than I thought he would.

And you have McCain, I think, making a comeback with almost no money. I've never seen a man more abused by his support staff than McCain was; they wasted too much money and it's scandalous because his deserves to be a major candidate in this race. He's an admirable human being. I disagree with him on Iraq, but I'm proud that he's challenged the Republicans to embrace campaign finance reform and climate change and any number of other issues.

And then you've got, I think, their only wild card really right now is the governor - former governor of Arkansas, Huckabee, he finished second in the Iowa polls.

more...

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2007/09/interview_with_bill_clinton.html

Bill Clinton should not be caught dead on the same tectonic plate as Al Hunt. The three liberals(supposedly) that made up the late, unlamented CNN's Capitol Gang were unabashed Clinton haters. I wouldn't watch Al Hunt cut his own throat. I would watch a tape of it, though.

:shrug: