Two For the Price of One

David Ignatius writes, in today's Washington Post, about "Hillary's Ex Factor" -- the possible role of Mrs. Clinton's husband, former President Bill Clinton, in her presidential administration.

In stores, two for the price of one is seen as a good deal. Back in 1992, a lot of voters were put off by the thought of it on the presidential level. And there are still people who balk at the notion in 2007.

Iagnatius offers a thoughtful evaluation of the situation. There certainly would be benefits to having a former president around. After two terms in the White House, Bill Clinton would be uniquely positioned to offer advice to a new president to help avoid making mistakes, large and small, that can slow down or even halt momentum in a particular direction.

Ignatius does a good job of discussing the pros and cons of such a relationship, but he leaves out what I think may be the most important factor -- the role of the former president in the debate between the Republicans and Democrats in next fall's general election campaign.

I have long maintained that, if Hillary Clinton is nominated by the Democrats, the general election debate will be a rehash of her husband's presidency, the impeachment proceedings, Monica, etc., and the American public will be deprived of a real discussion of the issues that face us today -- as well as a genuine evaluation of which candidate is best qualified to deal with them in the next four years.

Just as we were deprived of a real discussion of foreign policy, the Iraq war, and other important issues in 2004 when most of the attention was riveted to the "swift boat" matter that ultimately contributed to John Kerry's defeat.

It's fine for Barack Obama to say that he will not hesitate to offer Bill Clinton a role in his administration. Obama is not married to Bill Clinton, and his presence in the White House would not be a given if Obama is elected.

But if Hillary is the nominee, the question "What about Bill?" becomes unavoidable. Just as Mormonism became the issue that Mitt Romney could no longer avoid, once Mike Huckabee started winning the support of Christian conservatives on the Republican side.

It is, as Ignatius puts it, "the elephant in the room."

Or, perhaps, to use a more appropriate political analogy, it is the "donkey" in the room.

Either way, it is something for Democrats to consider when they go to the polls to vote in the primaries.

Do you want the general election campaign to be about yesterday -- or tomorrow?