Sounding Bitter

Rick Moran at Pajamas Media: "The realization that Obama is an elitist who lacks a basic understanding of how the majority of Americans live and what is important to them will no doubt have far reaching consequences for his candidacy. But beyond the immediate problem for Obama's disconnect from ordinary people is the seeming contradiction between his rhetoric on the campaign trail and how he has conducted himself throughout his career in seeking to achieve high office. Ultimately, it goes back to the fundamental question we ask of all candidates.

"Who is Barack Obama?"

But the HuffPost unearths some 1991 comments by Bill Clinton with the same intent:

"The reason (George H. W. Bush's tactic) works so well now is that you have all these economically insecure white people who are scared to death."

And, about the first Bush administration:

"When their economic policies fail, when the country's coming apart rather than coming together, what do they do? They find the most economically insecure white men and scare the living daylights out of them."

Is Hillary being restrained toward Barack? In Politico, John Harris and Jim VandeHei argue:

"She and Bill Clinton both devoutly believe that Obama's likely victory is a disaster-in-waiting. Naive Democrats just don't see it. And a timid, pro-Obama press corps, in their view, won't tell the story.

"But Hillary Clinton won't tell it, either. A lot of coverage of the Clinton campaign supposes them to be in kitchen-sink mode -- hurling every pot and pan, no matter the damage this might do to Obama as the likely Democratic nominee in the fall.

"In fact, the Democratic race has not been especially rough by historical standards. What's more, our conversations with Democrats who speak to the Clintons make plain that their public comments are only the palest version of what they really believe: that if Obama is the nominee, a likely Democratic victory would turn to a near-certain defeat . . .

"Republicans will also ruthlessly exploit openings that Clinton -- in the genteel confines of an intraparty contest -- never could. Top targets: Obama's radioactive personal associations, his liberal ideology, his exotic life story, his coolly academic and elitist style."

Of course, voters in a majority of the primary and caucus states so far have disagreed.