Anxiety on Clinton speech

It’s not Barack Obama’s former rival for the nomination who has Democrats worried — it’s her husband.

The cause of Democrats’ angst is the speeches Bill and Hillary Clinton will give during the coveted primetime speaking slots. These time periods aren’t just covered by the cable networks but are included in the one-hour time frame the broadcasts’ networks are devoting to convention coverage.

{mosads}Traditionally, such speeches get the seal of approval from the nominee’s staff, but once the speaker hits the podium, all bets are off.

Democrats note that Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) has already proven that she will work hard to get her former rival elected.

But former President Clinton has a history of stealing the limelight at conventions.

In 2004, his speech in Boston largely focused on his presidency and not as much on then-Democratic nominee Sen. John Kerry (Mass.). And the next day’s news coverage all praised the oratorical powers of Bill Clinton and noted Kerry had a lot to live up to.

Kerry’s campaign was extremely frustrated by Bill Clinton’s speech, according to a former Kerry campaign aide.

The ex-staffer added that Clinton winked at Kerry aides while leaving the stage.

Bill Clinton’s office did not comment for this article.

In 2000, the former president’s remarks went long, going past the hour the broadcast networks allotted for their primetime convention coverage. But, showing proof of his drawing power, the networks stayed on the air until Clinton was done speaking.

This year, Bill Clinton will speak on Wednesday night in Denver, the evening before Obama accepts the party’s nomination. Sen. Clinton will speak on Tuesday night.

Throughout the nomination battle, Bill Clinton’s impromptu remarks were the stuff of American political lore. He called Obama’s candidacy “a fairytale” and compared the Illinois senator’s run for the White House to that of the Rev. Jesse Jackson. And, earlier this month, the former president angered many Obama supporters when he failed to offer a full-throated endorsement when he was asked if the freshman senator is prepared for the presidency.

In an interview with ABC News, former President Clinton said he was never mad at Obama, but he seemed to stress his unhappiness with the way he was portrayed during the primaries. He made a point of noting “that everybody’s got a right to run for president if he qualifies under the Constitution.”

“You can argue that no one is ever ready to be president … He has shown a keen strategic sense in his ability to run an effective campaign,” Bill Clinton said in remarks that were viewed as less than full of spirit. “He clearly can inspire and motivate people and energize them, which is an important part of being president, and he is smart as a whip, so there is nothing that he can’t learn.”

A Clinton loyalist noted that those remarks, along with the ones made during the primary process, were the reason for concern. Sen. Clinton, the source noted, has fully demonstrated a willingness to work very hard for her former rival since suspending her campaign in June.

“She’s a team player, and I think she’ll do everything she can to be on the same page as Obama. I think her campaigning around the country is pretty good evidence of that,” said the source. “If I were Obama’s campaign, I’d be worried about what Bill Clinton was going to say. He has a knack for stealing the show. Not only is he a brilliant former president, but he sometimes fails to anticipate the obsessive parsing of his words.”

The same source noted that there continues to be some bitterness among former employees and admirers of Sen. Clinton because of the former president’s off-the-cuff remarks, adding that worries about the former president will keep the Obama campaign sweating until Clinton finishes his convention speech.

“No one has ever been able to control what Bill Clinton says,” the source said. “He did a lot of damage to his wife’s campaign for exactly that reason.”

Because of that, the source warned, the Obama campaign will want to keep a close eye on what the former president says as he is undoubtedly aware of the damage his legacy suffered during the primaries.

“The Obama people know that Bill is one of the most powerful speakers in the party, and they’re smart to want to make sure the barrel is pointing the right way,” the source said.

But speaking to reporters in Davenport, Iowa, Obama saidhe'd spoken to former President Clinton about his speech and said he told Clinton he could talk about anything he likes, according to an Associated Press account.

Many analysts and even some Obama loyalists have expressed concern about the amount of time the former first family will have onstage at what should be the Illinois senator’s event, but many Democratic strategists say they’re more concerned about what the Clintons will say once they are on the stage.

The Obama campaign expressed complete confidence that Sen. Clinton will perform admirably, advancing Obama’s agenda and doing all she can to see that he is elected.

“We’re going to work closely with all of the speakers on the message of the convention, but Sen. Clinton and other speakers have proven themselves to be powerful voices for the middle class who are harmed by the same old politics and failed Bush policies that John McCain wants to continue,” said Obama spokesman Nick Shapiro.

Other Democrats, however, including some who were involved in the 2004 convention planning, said that while Obama should have approval over what his vanquished rivals will say on prime-time TV, there is some concern about what happens onstage.

“Traditionally the nominee has nearly complete editorial control over all the convention speeches,” said one Democrat involved in the 2004 transition. “I’m guessing that is not the situation with the Clintons, but it is in their best interest to vigorously and wholeheartedly support Sen. Obama and play nicely.”

One Democratic strategist involved in the planning of the 2004 convention noted that the modern tradition is to have a backstage speechwriters’ room through which every word that is uttered onstage will pass.

“So there’s a definite sense of control in that,” the strategist said. “Obama’s definitely going to have control over Clinton.”

In that writers’ room, the source said, 10 to 15 speechwriters will review every speech of every speaker up to and after words start appearing on the teleprompter.

But other sources cautioned that what goes on the teleprompter does not necessarily dictate what comes out of the speaker’s mouth.

When it comes to the Clintons, that could be a major source of concern for Obama.

“Bill and Hillary Clinton are extemporaneous speakers,” said the Clinton loyalist. “There will be a speech loaded on the teleprompter, but they have a tendency to speak off the cuff.”

Another reason for concern, the source added, is that “they both speak so eloquently off the cuff that you would not even know they were deviating from the prepared remarks.”

E-mails to Hillary Rodham Clinton’s office were not returned for this article.