The Point: Bill Clinton to the Rescue Again

Bill Clinton took another step in defining his post-presidential role when he visited Capitol Hill on Tuesday to urge Senate Democrats to pass health care reform.

As he takes on the mantle of the Democratic Party's elder statesman, Clinton is also becoming President Barack Obama's go-to guy when the going gets tough.

Hillary Rodham Clinton wasn't offered the vice presidency because Obama didn't want her husband around all the time, according to a book by the new president's campaign manager. But in the months since Obama took office, he's sent Bill Clinton to North Korea to bring home two imprisoned reporters and to Virginia in a futile attempt to hold on to the governor's seat for Democrats.

Now, with the signature initiative of Obama's young presidency on the line, Clinton serves as a living reminder of the consequences of failure to pass health care reform. Remember the history here. In 1993, a young President Clinton tried to overhaul the nation's health care system -- with his wife, who became a lightning rod for critics, leading the way. "Hillarycare" opponents prevailed, and Democrats lost control of Congress the next year.




So Clinton's words carry weight with wary Democratic lawmakers. He told senators during their private lunch that passing health care reform isn't just an important element in reviving the economy, it's good politics. "The worst thing we can do is nothing," he said over and over.

Amid speculation that lawmakers might not be able to do something by the end of the year, Clinton appealed for speedy action, before the 2010 campaign season heats up.

"It's not important to be perfect here. It's important to act, to move, to start the ball rolling," he told reporters after the meeting, saying any problems can be fixed later through amendments.

One senator at the luncheon, Rhode Island's Sheldon Whitehouse, quoted Clinton as saying: "Just pass the bill, even if it's not exactly what you want. ... When you try and fail, the other guys write history."

In this case, the "other guys" include Tea Party protesters. Clinton said the reason they're so fired up about Obama's health care reform push is "because we're winning," according to Whitehouse.

While conservative commentators may disagree over who's winning, Hot Air's Allahpundit called Clinton's "pass anything now" strategy "a sound one."

Blogger Taylor Marsh praised the White House for sending Clinton to use his powers of persuasion on "Blue Dog" Democrats from conservative states who fear a vote for health care reform could cost them their seats. "No one can talk to the Blue Dogs in the Senate like Bubba," Marsh wrote.

The Atlantic's Andrew Sullivan was struck by the unexpected "fusion of the Clinton and Obama brands" that's taken place in the past year. With Secretary of State Clinton winning praise from some past critics for her foreign policy work and former President Clinton twisting arms for a major domestic initiative, Sullivan said the alliance of one-time rivals "speaks well" for all involved.