What the HELL, Bill?

Yeah, yeah, at this point the Clintonites are probably already shouting "Huffpo, more like HuffpOBAMA!"

That still doesn't explain this.

Adding a bit of fuel to the political fire, Bill Clinton made a bizarre comment on Friday, leaving the impression that he believed Barack Obama's patriotism would be a general election issue.

MSNBC is reporting that on the campaign trail today in Charlotte, North Carolina, the former president said a general election matchup between his wife, Sen. Clinton, and Sen. John McCain would be between "two people who love this country" without "all this other stuff that always seems to intrude itself on our politics."

It's difficult to determine exactly what Clinton meant by this. Howard Wolfson, a spokesman for the Clinton campaign, said the former president was not implying that Obama didn't love America. As for "this other stuff," that Clinton referred to? He was talking about "the politics of personal destruction," said Wolfson. "He was lamenting that these kind of distractions 'always seems to intrude' on our politics."

Not everyone had the same interpretation. MSNBC, for example, was quick to suggest that the former president was implying there were doubts about Obama's patriotism, and that those doubts would play a role in the general election. Which seems, on its face, hardly a stretch.

However, President Clinton also seems to be suggesting that his wife would be immune to swift-boat like attacks; a supposition that does not seem terribly likely.

And here's the actual quote:

Here is the full quote: "I think it would be a great thing if we had an election between two people who loved this country and were devoted to the interests of the country and people could actually ask themselves who is right on the issues, instead of all this other stuff that always seems to intrude itself on our politics."

Bolding mine. Now, this could be harmless. Taken on its face, I actually agree with him. Elections should be more about policy than they are.

But.

Taken within the context of the last few weeks, I can't help but think that this is what MSNBC and Huffpo and all those other irrational Clinton-hating Obamanoids (or whatever) say it is: A very unsubtle attack on not only Obama's patriotism, but all the real issues of racial discrimination and oppression that came to the fore when White America was rather rudely reminded of just how alienated black America was from it. Some, like that drooling, tendentious fool Krauthammer, want to blame it all on black people; considering his "America must crush all the impudent brown peopleforeigners and reign supreme" position on foreign policy, that ain't a big surprised.

But others probably just wish it would go away, and it really, really sounds like that's what Bill is all about here.

Could be wrong. Hope I'm wrong. Not going to be easily convinced I'm wrong, mind you, but I hope I'm wrong. Bill's been jumping enough sharks lately.