Relationship Restored…

In the Gospel of Matthew Chapter 18 verses 21-22, Saint Peter asked the Lord Jesus “how often should I forgive my brother when he sins against me, seven times?” The Lord responded “I tell you not seven times, but seventy seven times.”

Accordingly, I have forgiven Bill Clinton of his racial oriented transgressions against Barack Obama during the primary season.

In a brilliant exhibition of sheer oratorical genius without teleprompter or notes, Clinton showed why he is still considered the master politician.

In the process, Clinton healed some deep wounds.

Comparing Obama’s South Carolina primary victory to Jesse Jakcson? Forgiven.

Calling Barack Obama’s candidacy a fairy tale? It no longer matters.

Insisting that Barack Obama was not qualified to lead America? That statement, too, forgotten in the twinkling of an eye.

The past few days have been filled with an almost non stop-barrage from right wing pundits insisting that the rift between the Clintons and Obama was so strong that the Clintons would be unable to put aside their personal ambitions for the sake of the party.

After two monster home runs by both Senator Clinton and now the former President, it is clear that any lack of unity will certainly not be on account of their lack of effort.

Clinton also laid to rest the charges of the bitter and discursive Dick Morris, his former aide and current Fox news analyst who at every juncture shows the Quisling that he is by throwing out outlandish charges about the Clintons distaste for Obama.

The Clintons seem to grasp what only the most inane individuals cannot, which is the fact that the stakes are high this year because the George Bush presidency has failed all Americans, both Republicans and Democrats alike.

The former President did a masterful job in outlining the distinctions between his administration and Bush’s. He highlighted the surplus that has since diminished to a deficit, the nearly 5.5 million jobs lost, the over dependence on foreign credit and oil as well as a foreign policy that can be described as “unilateral."

The president also touched upon the scourge of Aids both in the United States and abroad as well as the Bush administration's blithe response to Hurricane Katrina, a response that becomes all the more ominous considering that another potentially major Hurricane may be heading toward the Gulf coast region this week.

Clinton’s main theme, that Obama is best suited to both “Restore the American Dream” as well as “Rebuild our leadership in the world” was well received by the party faithful that had been treated to a number of warm up guests this evening, including John Lewis, the venerable Civil Rights leader, and Patrick Murphy, an Iraq War veteran and young Congressman from Pennsylvania who did an excellent job in outlining why Obama will make an outstanding Commander in Chief.

This last point was perhaps the most salient as President Clinton, in complimenting both Senator McCain’s patriotism and sacrifice as a POW in Vietnam, is still not best suited to be commander in chief because he believes in the same unilateralism that has marked the Bush administration.

President Clinton also did a masterful job in pointing out one of the key hypocrisies of the Bush years, which is the fact that Bush speaks highly of duty, honor and country while doing very little to “address the concerns of military families facing their third and fourth deployments.” Many of these men and women return home facing myriad battle injuries and diseases, including mental illness, with no recompense from their government.

These hypocrisies must be addressed by the next president but one can only sense, as Clinton pointed out, that they will be difficult to fix if the president is not even aware that there is a problem. Last night, Fox News’ Brit Hume opined that the Democrats make it seem as if we live in “Belarus." Tonight, Bill O’Reilly, during his interview with Ohio Democratic Congressman Dennis Kucinich, seemed incredulous as the representative discussed the people in his district and throughout Ohio who struggle to pay the mortgage and to place food on the table.

Now it is time for the main attraction, the “Great Orator”, Mr. Obama himself, to tie it all together tomorrow night. If he can get specific with how he and his administration plan to make a great nation even greater, it is likely that the “post convention bump” that has been alluded to all week may just signal a momentum shift that could ultimately propel him into the White House this January.

I would be remiss, however, if I did not reiterate that President Clinton has mended a lot of fences tonight. Certainly it was the right thing to do, but more often than not, many modern politicians trade what is “right” for what is expedient “right now.” Clinton is to be commended for removing self from the equation in favor of preserving, protecting and defending the Constitution. In the process, his honorary soul brother status and ghetto passes should be returned ASAP.

Join BBN for free to post a comment on this page.
If you already have an account, please login here to post a comment on this page.