Having just finishing Jonathan Alter’s "The Promise", these comments from Clinton almost knocked me of the chair.
If i had to bet today, i’m not sure i would put a lot of money on president Obama having another term – either because he’ll just say ‘the hell with it’ (Or Michelle will…, or simply because he won’t be re-elected. If someone like Scott Brown can be more popular in Massachusetts than both Barack Obama and John Kerry, nothing can surprise me.
Needless to say, it will be very very sad in my eyes. I honestly believe that given 8 years, president Obama will leave behind America that is great again, and that history will judge him as one of the greatest presidents in history.
But the atmosphere may just be too toxic and crazy, and the forces against him may just be too much, even for a rare talent like this man. And i fear it’s just going to get worse. I can only hope that enough people would stick with him. That’s one reason why this warmed my heart today:
Former President Bill Clinton said Sunday that Barack Obama is doing a "better job than he’s given credit for."
Speaking in Cape Town, South Africa as part of the Fortune/Time/CNN Global Forum, Clinton said said that public perception of the president has lagged behind what he has done to benefit the country.
"He’s done a better job than he’s given credit for," Clinton said. "I feel very strongly about this." The former president, who, like Obama, saw his polling numbers dip dramatically during his second year in office, said that Obama is not fully "responsible" for how he is perceived, adding that a dip in approval is "not avoidable" in an economic downturn.
"Until people feel good about their own lives, they’re not going to feel good about their president," Clinton said. "And there’s nothing you can do about that."
"He is a brilliant, articulate and, I think, an exceedingly empathetic person," the former president said of Obama.