Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Things to Do in Denver When You're Dems: Hate

Clinton camp's back-handed Obama-bashing, second-guessing mark jittery DNC

By Kevin Spak, Newser Staff

Posted Aug 27, 2008 12:24 PM CDT

(Newser) – A former John McCain strategist described the odd mood in Denver perfectly, Maureen Dowd writes in the New York Times: “Submerged hate.” That would explain the uneasy proceedings, which have been marked more by Clintonian drama than anything else. At a recent new conference, Dowd observes, “Hillary looked as if she were straining at the bit to announce her 2012 exploratory committee.”

Bill, meanwhile, has quarreled with Obama over his speech tonight; that Obama caved to what might be Bubba’s “paean to himself and his economic record” only adds to Democrats’ jittery fretting over disunity and second-guessing. They’ve even internalized McCain’s “celebrity” slams, and fear tomorrow’s Invesco Field concert/speech will exacerbate the rap. “It’s something about our party,” said one, “the shtetl mentality.”

[Images (2)]

[Quotes (2)]

Virginia Gov. Mark Warner gives the keynote speech last night at the Democratic National Convention. (AP Photo)

Hillary Clinton addresses the crowd last night at the Pepsi Center in Denver during the Democratic National Convention. (AP Photo)

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

As in Obama’s favorite movie, The Godfather, every time Democrats try to get away, the Clintons pull them back in. - Maureen Dowd, New York Times

Hillary looked as if she were straining at the bit to announce her 2012 exploratory committee. - Maureen Dowd, New York Times

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

To report an error on this story, notify our editors.

More Newser Stories

Chinese VP Arrives in Washington

Xi Jinping, China's next president, to meet with Obama

(NEWSER) - The man slated to be China's next president began his US tour today, meeting with President Obama in the Oval Office before having lunch with Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton. Biden will serve as Xi Jinping's host in Washington, the New York Times reports. Other stops on the agenda: a meeting with the Chamber of Commerce, and a high-level trip to the Pentagon, where he'll get an honor guard salute and meet with Leon Panetta and the new chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Martin Dempsey. More»

Eastwood: I'm Not Politically Affiliated With Obama

Chrysler ad a political football

(NEWSER) - God bless America ... and the Chrysler bailout ... seemed to be the message that left football fans misty-eyed after Clint Eastwood's Super Bowl Chrysler ad. It's "halftime" in America, and we're all pulling together for a brighter economic future, says the gravelly-voiced star. But Eastwood was opposed to the bailout that made the Chrysler turnaround possible, and now the ad has become a political football as Dems score points with it and the GOP tackles it, notes ABC News . “Saving the American Auto Industry: Something Eminem and Clint Eastwood can agree on," crowed White House spokesman Dan Pfeiffer on Twitter, referring to Eminem’s Chrysler ad during last year's Super Bowl. "Powerful spot," chimed in Obama re-election strategist David Axelrod. But George Bush's political maven Karl Rove snapped that he was "offended" by the ad, which he argued was orchestrated by the administration to paint a rosy future. More»

Chelsea Clinton Steps Out

Former first daughter begins to embrace public life

(NEWSER) - She's the only child of one of the most powerful couples in American history, the gangly teen who has spent her life ducking the glare of the spotlight her parents craved, the bride whose wedding was watched as if she were royalty, and the would-be journalist whose latest gig inspired fury . And now, Chelsea Clinton is stepping out of the shadows and embracing public life, reports the New York Times in a lengthy and flattering profile. “My parents taught me to approach the world critically, but also to approach it with a sense of responsibility,” Clinton tells the Times. More»

Bradley Manning Wants Obama, Clinton as Witnesses

Preliminary hearing begins Dec. 16

(NEWSER) - Bradley Manning's preliminary hearing is set to begin Dec. 16, and if the US Army private has his way, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton will be among the witnesses. The president and the secretary of state were included on a 20-page list of defense witnesses in a request made Friday, Politico reports. Manning's preliminary hearing will determine whether the case against him—accusing him of passing classified information to WikiLeaks—should be referred for a full-scale court martial. More»

Clinton 'Gently Dings' Obama in New Book

He faults strategy on debt ceiling

(NEWSER) - Bill Clinton thinks the country is "a mess" right now, and while he mostly blames conservatives' anti-government views, he also "gently dings" President Obama for some miscues in his new book, reports the AP . For one thing, Clinton says he was able to persuade the rich to pay higher taxes because "I didn't attack them for their success," he writes in Back to Work. It's out next week, but the AP got an advance copy. More»

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most thought-provoking and entertaining stories from hundreds of US and international sources and reduce them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »

Partnering with: Slate

View Newser on the mobile website

Things to Do in Denver When You're Dems: Hate