With Virginia considered Hillary Clinton’s best chance in the Potomac Primary, Bill Clinton packed his schedule with three stops Monday in the Old Dominion, where he tried to convince voters that his wife’s experience trumps Barack Obama’s “smoke and mirrors” candidacy.
Clinton’s first stop of the day was at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, where he barely referred to Obama by name but alluded to him often as the lesser choice for the Democratic nomination, a candidate who has style but lacks Hillary Clinton’s substance.
“You have to decide what this election is about,” Clinton told a room of 600 students, his voice hoarse from making four campaign speeches a day earlier in the District and Maryland. “You have to decide what makes the best president. You want someone with the right vision, the right plans and ability to get the job done. If that’s the test, I don’t think the question is close.”
Outside of those traits, “all the rest is smoke and mirrors,” Clinton said in reference to his wife’s more charismatic rival.
Clinton has previously tried to paint Obama as a political lightweight. When asked by TV host Charlie Rose whether Obama was “more symbol than substance,” he responded: “I get tickled watching him. He’s got great skills.”
Asked in New Hampshire about Obama’s opposition to the war in Iraq, Clinton said: “Give me a break. This whole thing is the biggest fairy tale I’ve ever seen.”
Although race might play a significant role in the primaries, Bill Clinton stayed away from the topic in Fredericksburg. He previously angered African-Americans by comparing Obama’s campaign in South Carolina to those of Jesse Jackson, who ran as a black candidate and was never a serious contender.
On Monday, Clinton emphasized Hillary Clinton’s experience in the Senate and her days as first lady, asserting that she helped win peace in Ireland and achieve rights for women in Senegal.
