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Bill Clinton speaks about his legacy in Denver

by amyjudd | August 27, 2008 at 06:31 pm | 260 views | 5 comments | 22 recommendations

Pres_ Bill Clinton Address at Democratic National Convention

Bill Clinton speaks at the DNC in Denver

Clinton's speech at the Democratic Convention in Denver wasn't exactly what everyone had in mind, but it was an interesting moment to watch.

Clinton's speech, however, was as much about preserving his presidential legacy as it was trying to smooth Obama's general election path among hard-core supporters of Sen. Hillary Clinton.

"This is his legacy, both Hillary Clinton as a plausible candidate for president, and Barack Obama," said Stanley Greenberg, who was Bill Clinton's pollster for his 1992 presidential campaign. "I think he'll take ownership."

Clinton has appeared cool and distant toward Obama since Hillary Clinton dropped out of the race, barely communicating with him and offering lukewarm comments about him when asked.

Many political analysts and voters - particularly African-Americans - believe that the man some called "the first black president" tarnished his legacy by appearing to inject race into the primary contests.

Remember the Jesse Jackson incident? Many voters thought that his comments towards Barack Obama are what caused some of Hilary's popularity to go south, but there's no way of knowing how true that is.

Many are hoping that the rift between the two parties will now begin to heal, but just as many seem to think that it will be a long time before Bill and Obama can put the past behind them.

This is of course, all speculation - who really knows what is going on except the two parties themselves?