President Clinton made two statements, and people should take note of
these two statements - a mistake both Mr. Russert and Mr. Todd,
and even Mr. Robinson made today on Meet the press.

President Clinton said

I think it would be a great
thing if we had
an election year where you had two people who loved this country and
were devoted to the interest of this country.

AND he further went on to say

And people could actually
ask themselves who is right on these issues, instead of all this other
stuff that always seems to intrude itself on our politics.

Clearly, the first statement states that there are some candidates in the race who don't necessarily love this country and are not devoted to the interest of this country.

There are some people who think this as a stretch, but all those people should listen to and read what the Republicans, conservatives, and talk-show & talk-radio hosts have been saying ever since Michelle Obama's I-am-proud-of-the-country-for-the-first-time rap, including, I must add, Peggy Noonan's column "praising" Obama's speech.

It is naive to think that there are no "customers" for this kind of talk. It is important to note that President Clinton was addressing a group of war veterans in North Carolina.
I do not believe that war veterans or men/women in uniform overwhelmingly make up these "customers" but it is political and I believe (not think or know) common perception that war veterans and men/women in uniform tend to "respond" more to this kind of "patriotic talk."

Coming to the second sentence of President Clinton and a follow up by Gov. Rendell, who according to AP said

Bill Clinton was saying what many people think, that the campaign should focus on the economy, health care and the candidates' experience, for example, and not on race and other distractions.

It is an outright jab at Obama's Tuesday speech. Essentially Mrs. Clinton's supporters, if not Mrs. Clinton herself, are saying that race should not be an issue, for it is a non-issue and distracts us from real issues.

While the fact remains that addressing race head-on can alleviate many other issues in this country, including but not limited to, education, poverty, and affirmative action- I am sure everyone would like a society where there is no need for affirmative actions, Clinton supporters are more than suggesting that it is a distraction.

That said, Obama's campaign could use a dose of discipline, ranging from Mrs Obama's "proud of America" statement, to Mr Obama's "typical white" remark, to Gen. McPeak's remarks, not to mention Prof. Power's monster gaffe and "Obama-not-bound-by-Iraq-withdrawal-plan."

They might not have said anything wrong, but they sure are saying things that are putting them on the defensive, and frankly, the campaign can live without.