When Mr. Clinton held lengthy town-hall meetings on behalf of his wife in South Carolina a couple of weeks ago, he was invariably asked about his role in his wife’s administration.
He said he would not be in her cabinet because that would be illegal. (It's known as "the Bobby Kennedy law.") And he would say he did not want to “big foot” her vice president or secretary of state. He did say he might be involved in “selling the domestic program,” which sounds a lot like permanent campaigning, both on Capitol Hill and around the country. He also said he wanted to continue to work for his foundation. At one stop, in St. Helena Island, a questioner persisted in seeking clarification of his role.
“I will be there for her,” Mr. Clinton said, “but I will not interrupt the ordinary functioning of her government and you should not want me to.”
After the South Carolina primary, Mr. Clinton was reined in and held back from talking with voters and reporters. Instead, he sticks to a prepared script at rallies.
His behavior, though, raised several questions and Mrs. Clinton clearly felt some need to address them. She made herself available for interviews, and she was often asked how she would control him. She said, in essence, that she would be in charge.
But those interviews were fleeting and narrowly focused. If she becomes the nominee, the Republicans will surely go after her husband as much as they go after her, and she may find that she needs to more fully address the public’s concerns about her larger-than-life partner. |
