Reporters covering Bill Clinton have noticed a much more subdued tone coming from the former president in recent days.
Gone is the Clinton on display in South Carolina, who went on the attack against his wife's chief Democratic rival Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill.
Gone, too, are the lengthy freewheeling discussions with voters, the constant references to his White House record, and the flashes of temper directed at the news media.
The Clinton campaign appears to be trying to keep the former president tightly on message while he campaigns across the country for his wife, in the lead up to the crucial Feb. 5 multistate contests.
Yesterday, he only spoke for 31 minutes, barely mentioning himself, and today, he seemed to do his best to focus on his wife's candidacy.
They're also keeping him as far away from the press as possible. So far away, in fact, some reporters covering the ex-president are having trouble hearing what he's saying to supporters as he shakes hands along the rope line.
That's led some to speculate that Clinton, who was acting as his wife's chief attack dog — has been muzzled.
"But this is my campaign, it is about my candidacy," she said.
"I think whatever he said, which was certainly never intended to cause any kind of offense to anyone. ... If it did give offenses, then I take responsibility, and I'm sorry about that."
McFadden asked, "Can you control him?"
"Oh, of course," Clinton replied.
Now, name me one candidate that if they said that about their wives wouldn't have been crucified across the front page of every newspaper in the country?
But it's not about that. It's about Bill's lust for power and to return to the White House, if at least being the "first lady". Case in point?
Clinton, introduced to the crowd as "the next first man" of the nation, also briefly revisited the "two for the price of one" theme that he and Hillary Clinton used with supporters in the early 1990s, presenting themselves as a team. "Here is Hillary's message if you make her president: We're back," he said, drawing thunderous applause from the crowd.
But with Ann Coulter willing to back her, that's got to play against Hillary, and play into the hands of Barack Obama. Personally, I see Obama getting the nomination over Hillary. His touting "change" is a lot more believable then Hilary's jumping on the "change" bandwagon. If I were a betting man, I'd put my money on Obama.
Travis
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