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WASHINGTON, June 6 (Reuters) - One of the top unanswered questionsof the 2008 presidential campaign has come roaring back: What'sBill Clinton thinking? The former president has increased his profile in recent days,speaking out on behalf of the re-election campaign of PresidentBarack Obama, a fellow Democrat. But some of Clinton's candid remarks have undermined Obama'sattacks on Republican challenger Mitt Romney, leaving Democratsfuming, Republicans cheering and observers on both sides scratchingtheir heads. In the space of five days, Clinton went off message on twoimportant issues - tax cuts and Romney's time as a private equityexecutive - raising questions about the former president's motives. At a time when Obama's campaign is casting Romney as a formercorporate raider who killed jobs, Clinton last week called Romney'sbusiness record "sterling." This week, Clinton said hefavored a temporary extension of George W. Bush-era tax cuts forall Americans, not just the middle class, as Obama prefers. The comments became an unwanted distraction for Obama's campaign,and were reminders of how Clinton in 2008 became a drag on thepresidential bid of his wife, Hillary Clinton, with remarks aboutObama that some Democrats saw as racially insensitive. Bill Clinton is one of the most gifted politicians of hisgeneration, an intriguing blend of personal charm and inconsistentdiscipline. With his recent comments, it could be that he is justtrying to give some advice to Obama's campaign by subtly suggestingthat it stop criticizing Romney's success in business, and be moreflexible in its approach to tax cuts. Or, for the real conspiracy theorists, there is the thought -making the rounds on political blogs and cable television shows -that maybe Clinton secretly would not mind Obama losing to Romneyin the Nov. 6 election so that Clinton's wife, now secretary ofstate, would be the clear leader of the Democratic Party and runfor president in 2016. Bill Clinton has scoffed at such theories, saying a Romneypresidency would be "calamitous for our country and theworld." ROMNEY STAFF DELIGHTED Whatever his motives, Clinton the surrogate is causing confusionand tension among Democrats at a time when the presidentialcandidates are working furiously to define themselves and theiropponents. After Clinton's comments on Romney's business career and tax cuts,Clinton and Obama aides scrambled to clarify his remarks. Romney aides were happy to bring attention to the apparentdivergence between Clinton and Obama, who had a tense relationshipduring Hillary Clinton's bitter fight with Obama for the Democraticnomination in 2008. Romney's staff even set up a Twitter account, _zBill_tClinton12,featuring the former president's not-so-flattering comments aboutObama dating back to that campaign. "It's time for a leader like Mitt Romney, who - according toPresident Obama's surrogates - had a 'sterling' business career andis 'very much' qualified for the presidency," Romneyspokeswoman Andrea Saul said in a statement. Another senior Romney adviser quipped: "When it comes toundercutting President Obama's attacks on Governor Romney,(Clinton) is a sterling surrogate. Just sterling." CLINTON'S POLITICS The Romney team's comments came after Clinton, in describingRomney, told CNN last Friday, "There's no question that a manwho has been a governor and has a sterling business career crossesthe qualification threshold" to be president. Clinton also echoed other Democrats, including Newark, New Jersey,Mayor Cory Booker, in criticizing the Obama campaign's attacks onRomney's work in private equity. The campaign's assault on Romney'srecord at Bain Capital has been a key part of its strategy so far. "Clinton does a lot of business in New York, and all of theNew York people think Obama is wrong" to pursue a theme thatcould be construed as anti-business, said one Democrat, an ally tothe Clinton and Obama administrations. "These are aboutClinton's politics, not Obama's." Obama's campaign base in Chicago tried to limit the damage fromClinton's statements with an email to reporters. The subject linesaid, "Bill Clinton: Praising Romney's business record doesn'tconnote endorsement." In a new round of interviews on Tuesday, Clinton said he was caughtoff-guard by the controversy he had caused. Then he caused anotherone by saying all of the Bush tax cuts should be extended. Clinton's office later clarified that he was in favor of lettingthe cuts for the wealthiest Americans expire, but he did not thinkthat would happen until after the election. In another interview, Clinton emphasized that he was not "anemployee" of the Obama campaign but someone trying to help thepresident get re-elected. A LITTLE TOUGH LOVE? Clinton's friends, most of them longtime Democratic Party hands,defend what they see as Clinton's tough-love message for an Obamacampaign that needs help. Lanny Davis, a longtime Clinton friend and ally, said Obamastaffers would do well to heed the message from Clinton and othersthat the planned attacks on Romney's private equity background werenot a winning strategy. "Just suppose for Obama's best interests, the angry staff iswrong about the wisdom of the Bain ads as effective," Davissaid in an email. "These ads hurt, and don't help Obama'schances." An Obama campaign official said on Wednesday that Clinton "hasbeen and will be an enormous asset to us, both on the stump, as afundraiser and as a policy resource for the president." Clinton, the official said, was an effective campaigner beforevarious types of audiences, "and we expect to see a lot moreof him in the weeks ahead.". I am an expert from stainlesssteelflatbars.com, while we provides the quality product, such as Stainless Steel Square Bar Manufacturer , Stainless Steel Strips Manufacturer, Stainless Steel Square Bar,and more.
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