Unsubstantiated Rumor: Bill Clinton To Speak at Denver Convention; This Does Nothing To End Obama-Clinton Rift

Finally waking up to just how bad it looks to exclude the most recent Democratic president from any speaking role at the convention, the Obama campaign has offered a Wednesday night spot to Bill Clinton. NBC's sources say that Clinton "will in fact speak."

I don't know if that means he's accepted or that Obama's people are saying that Clinton has accepted, but I wouldn't believe it until someone more trustworthy than NBC's unnamed sources announces it. Yes, if true this helps with the image problem. But no one is going to believe this will end what NBC's Mark Murray calls the "Obama-Clinton drama."

Immediately after her primary defeat, Hilary Clinton did a very good job of unreservedly championing Obama's candidacy. She told her people to support him and then she started stumping for him. In return, Obama treated her like dirt. As a result, her support slowly waned to the point where she's actually facing questions about her alleged race-based campaign again. Letting her husband speak at the convention does nothing to erase the hurt that comes with that or the distress of Clinton's die-hard supporters.

The thing that would actually have ended the Obama-Clinton drama is to put her on the ticket. But Obama doesn't want to do that and I suspect that until recently he assumed that he wouldn't need to. Now, even if he were to offer her the VP spot, I don't think she'd accept it.

posted by Gabriel Malor at 09:12 PM

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