So as I'm reading how Bill Clinton is making himself all kinds of amenable so that Hillary can say yes to running the State Department, it at long last occurs to me that Obama's job offer to her might not be the total madness I took it for: See here in the New York Times, where it quotes former Clinton White House counsel and Obama supporter Abner ...

Ann, don't you love how we've all turned into headhunters for Hillary, eager to pitch in and help her locate just the right job? State wouldn't be the best possible platform for her diplomatic and managerial skill set. But Hillary as war czar isn't quite the ticket, either. (Because nearly everything reminds ...

Melinda and Emily, you're probably right that somebody should have whispered to Obama, ''Wait, you'll be sorry,'' before he summoned Clinton for a Chicago chat about the State department slot. But either no one did, or he didn't listen, so now what's he going to do? Offer her secretary of Defense. The cons are all the same (and who knows, he may ...

Rachael, I don't guess I know that many people who think of themselves as intellectuals—or would say so out loud, at any rate, no matter how much they love kicking around ideas. (My mom described me that way once, in anger, and it was soooo not a compliment. ''Who died and made you Lionel Trilling, missy?'' was the drift, and doubtless with good ...

''Palin and Biden Stake Their Claims on Change,'' rang the lead headline in the Times after the vice-presidential debate. Who could blame them? With several wars, Great Depression II, a blistering civil conflict in Pakistan, and European economic collapse, change would be welcome.But there's something else going on with this ''change'' business, ...

Bill Clinton praised a presidential candidate yesterday. “The American people, for good and sufficient reasons, admire him,” Clinton said on The View. “He’s given something in life the rest of us can’t match.” The problem: He was talking about John McCain.[UPDATE, Sept. 25: Clinton can't help himself: He praised McCain again today, telling Good ...

Maybe, Emily, I didn't see Bill Clinton's speech the way you did because I actually expected him to do Barack Obama some good tonight. But then, that I expected better of him is an old, old story. History was made in the Pepsi Center this evening, when William Jefferson Clinton arrived on schedule. I would not say that Michelle Obama twinkled at ...

Bill, the original stickler for exact language, manages to give a roaring, inspiring endorsement of Obama without entirely selling out his wife: ''Barack Obama is the man for this job.'' [Emphasis mine. Just sayin'.]   

Wow. I have spent these many months—years?—gnashing my teeth over Bill Clinton, ruing his narcissism and practically forgetting the good he did as president. And there he is tonight, showing us his best side: the commanding, masterful framer of Democratic goals and values vs. Republican ones, and repeatedly bringing the choice back to this ...

''If anything, the country shows every sign of yearning for Clintonism as a governing idea now as much as it ever ...