The Other Clinton Is an Absent Presence

Democratic presidential contenders Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama squared off in Myrtle Beach, S.C., in their most acrimonious debate yet. (By Mary Ann Chastain -- Associated Press)

But beneath those personal barbs was disgruntlement and anger about a series of comments -- some from the Clintons, some from Obama -- that have been flying back and forth over the past two weeks.

One came from Bill Clinton, who attacked Obama's assertion of consistent opposition to the Iraq war as a "fairy tale." Those words rippled through the African American community as a slight against Obama's candidacy -- drawing warnings from prominent black leaders to the former president to tone down his language.

Most recent was an interview in which Obama described former president Ronald Reagan as a transformative leader and also said that over the past 10 to 15 years, the Republicans were more a party of ideas than were the Democrats. In the context of a Democratic nomination battle, those are risky words, even if there is some historical basis for them.

Hillary Clinton pounced on Obama on Monday night, as Bill Clinton had done over the past few days.

"They were bad ideas for America," she said. "They were ideas like privatizing Social Security, like moving back from a balanced budget and a surplus to deficit and debt."

Obama protested that the Clintons had deliberately distorted his words. "Hillary, we just had the tape," he said. "You just said that I complimented the Republican ideas. That is not true."

The Clintons know that her strength has been with core Democrats (other than African Americans), and that the more they can raise doubts about Obama among these voters, the better she will do in the Feb. 5 primaries and caucuses.

In the second half of the debate, tempers cooled and the three candidates returned to a more civil tone. But the issue of Bill Clinton's role came up again, when his wife was asked whether he is overshadowing her candidacy and her message.

"I think that he is very much advocating on my behalf, and I appreciate that," she said. "He is a tremendous asset. And he feels very strongly about this country, and what's at stake and what our future should be." She added that "this campaign is not about our spouses."

But for now it is partly about Bill Clinton. He has emerged as more than his wife's chief surrogate. He is playing a role almost akin to that of a vice presidential candidate in a general election, leading the charge against the other party's nominee.

His stature, as Obama said Monday, commands media attention and his popularity among Democratic voters adds weight to whatever he says. When he has spoken publicly against Obama, or in strong defense of his wife, his words have been amplified beyond that of any other supporter of the senator from New York.

That role has caused consternation in the Democratic Party among people who believe Clinton has crossed a line a former president should not cross. That debate will continue through the primaries, but on Monday Obama decided he had to push back.

This is a fight the Clinton campaign welcomes. But it is one that threatens to have long-term consequences if both sides cannot find a way to pull back. Given the stakes of this nomination battle, that seems unlikely anytime soon.