Clinton Fatigue: Bill Clinton Lashes Out At Wife Being Treated “Disrespectfully Just For Running” (UPDATED)

Former President Bill Clinton has raised eyebrows (again) by lashing out at unnamed forces and an unnamed “they” for what he says has been unprecedented disrespect shown to his wife Senator Hillary Clinton in the way she has been treated and being asked to pull out of the Presidential race.

The only problem is: like some other of the former Commander in Chief’s blanket campaign statements or suggestions, his comments don’t quite pass the accuracy test and represent generalizations worded in a way to have maximum negative political impact on Hillary Clinton’s foes.

Political Radar’s piece needs to be looked at it full because it suggests the former President is now painting his wife as the victim of some kind of monolithic effort to derail her campaign and treat her unfairly.

ABC News’ Sarah Amos reports: Former President Bill Clinton in South Dakota today delivered a harsh critique of how his wife has been treated during her presidential bid, telling the crowd that he has “never seen a candidate treated so disrespectfully just for running,” and that, “she will win the general election if you nominate her. They’re just trying to make sure you don’t.”

[UPDATE: CNN's just-out report on this focuses on a comment he made that we missed. The headline: "Bill Clinton: 'Cover up' hiding Hillary Clinton's chances". ]

So that’s it? She is being treated disrespectfully and has never shown any disrespect on the trail to any of her campaign opponents in her speeches, interviews, or campaign ads? And the REAL issue is her running — nothing else? No controversies with back and forths between candidates and their factions about pledged delegates? No controversies with each side arguing about the Michigan and Florida delegations? No controversies during the campaign with people arguing back and forth about whether the Clinton campaign played the race card?

No recent controversy about Hillary Clinton invoking the 1968 Robert Kennedy assassination which many took as her using it as a reason to stay in the race? Hillary first insisted it came up because she thought about Ted Kennedy’s malignant brain tumor, but news organizations later discovered she — and at least one supporter — had said a version of that comment several times before.

There was no controversy over this? If not, why was the Clinton campaign in damage control mode this weekend? Why did the Clinton campaign even now try to blame the Obama campaign for publicizing her comments if it was no big deal?

No controversies about whether it is best for the Democratic party to let this play out through the convention or if the math is not there to instead focus ASAP on defeating presumptive GOP nominee Senator John McCain, the Republican’s one national figure who still is appealing to independent voters and Reagan Democrats? So this has been JUST about getting her out of the race? MORE:

Clinton spent more than six minutes calmly discussing what he called a “frantic effort to push her out” of this race, saying that no one asked Ted Kennedy, Jesse Jackson or Gary Hart to end their presidential campaigns early.

Clinton also spoke against bullying superdelegates to make up their minds, saying, “I cant believe it. It is just frantic the way they are trying to push and pressure and bully all these superdelegates to come out. ‘Oh, this is so terrible: The people they want her. Oh, this is so terrible: She is winning the general election, and he is not. Oh my goodness, we have to cover this up.’”

Who is this “they?” The Obama campaign hasn’t issued statements demanding she pull out. Most of the clamor has come from a) talking heads on TV, b) Democratic militants, and c) bloggers who push and pressure on almost any issue.

Who is “they?” The media? Most straight media reporting doesn’t ask Clinton to pull out. Op-ed writers and columnists may raise the issue Journalists don. Opinionated and yelling heads on cable TV might. Political reporters assigned to the campaigns don’t — but like all GOOD reporters they need to ask candidates questions that are floating around out there. Reporters who don’t ask politicos the touchy questions being asked by the public and others are not doing their jobs.

Speaking to a crowd of about 200 in Fort Thompson, S.D., Clinton seemed slightly subdued during his 30-minute speech, which largely focused on the issues important to the Native American community. As he wrapped up his remarks, a woman in the audience asked him a question about voting for Hillary Clinton.

“If you vote for her and she does well in Montana and she does well in Puerto Rico, when this is over she will be ahead in the popular vote,” Clinton said. “And they’re trying to get her to cry uncle before the Democratic Party has to decide what to do in Florida and Michigan because they are claiming that it only takes 2029 votes on the first ballot to win, and it takes a lot more than that if you put Florida and Michigan back in. Well, they will have to unless we want to lose the election. I mean, look, so there is that that is going on.”

Who is “they”? Unless I’ve missed it, there is no monolithic organization pushing buttons to get her out of the race. There is no “get Hillary out of the race” central staffed with media and political movers and shakers.

If the call is coming from her to get out, it’s coming from individuals — right now, at least.

“She is winning the general election today and he is not, according to all the evidence,” Clinton said. “And I have never seen anything like it. I have never seen a candidate treated so disrespectfully just for running. Her only position was, “Look, if I lose I’ll be a good team player. We will all try to win but let’s let everybody vote and count every vote.’”

We’ve run polls here on this site. Polls continue to be see-saws — and polls VARY in what they show.

The latest Gallup Poll shows Clinton with a solid lead over McCain while Obama would tie. Polls differ.

The latest Rasmussen Reports poll shows Obama tied with McCain, who led slightly in the last poll.

Go HERE to look at a variety of polls showing Clinton versus McCain.

GO HERE to look at a variety of polls showing Obama versus McCain.

If you look at a variety of polls, it’s clear Bill Clinton’s assertion that polls show her ahead is only partially-accurate: SOME polls show her beating McCain, some don’t and some show Obama beating McCain.

But the audiences Clinton addresses don’t have access to the Internet and can’t check his assertions.

Clinton also strongly criticized the media, saying that ever since Iowa they have been against his wife, making him feel as though he was living in a “fun house.”

So the Clintons are now victims.

“If you notice, there hasn’t been a lot of publicity on these polls I just told you about,” Clinton said. “It is the first time you’ve heard it? Why do you think that is? Why do you think? Don’t you think if the polls were the reverse and he was winning the electoral college against Sen. McCain and Hillary was losing it, it would be blasted on every television station? You would know it wouldn’t you? It wouldn’t be a little secret. And there is another Electoral College poll that I saw yesterday had her over 300 electoral votes, yeah. She will win the general election is you nominate her. They’re just trying to make sure you don’t.”

So “they” are out to get her, “they” are hiding polls that show Hillary Clinton could beat McCain (even though if you have a computer you can look at all news stories on Google news HERE and Google web HERE), and the Clintons are victims whose political behavior apparently has been exemplary.

Is this the first campaign in American political history that is trying to triumph by trying to make voters feel guilty and sorry for a candidate?

Hillary Clinton does have a problem: it continues to be her Bill Clinton problem.

If she does get the nomination, Bill Clinton will galvanize the Republican party more than any issue or Hillary Clinton, since it’s clear he will be out on the hustings pushing all of the buttons (”they” are out to get us, we are victims.”)

If Hillary wins, some voters will shudder at the idea of having to listen to Bill Clinton for four (or eight years).

And the Bill Clinton factor probably makes Obama shudder more than The O’Reilly Factor when he considers whether or not to invite Senator Clinton to be his running mate.

For more blog opinion GO HERE.