Romney Campaign Press Release - From the Archives: Obama and Clinton, Together Again

"Last night, President Obama stood beside former President Clinton in an effort to validate his failed first term in office. Conveniently, they failed to mention President Clinton's prescient warnings that then-Senator Obama wasn't ready for the presidency. We agreed with President Clinton then, and we still agree with those sentiments today." -Andrea Saul, Romney Campaign Spokesperson

Last Night, President Obama Portrayed His Presidency As "An Effort To Create Bill Clinton's Third And Fourth Terms":

President Obama At A Campaign Event With Former President Clinton: "I Ran For President Because We Had Lost Our Way Since Bill Clinton Was Done Being President." " 'I ran for President because we had lost our way since Bill Clinton was done being President,' Obama said at a fundraiser hosted by Clinton's 1996 campaign co-chairman, who also chaired Hillary Clinton's campaign against Obama. While tying his policies to Clinton, Obama argued that the Democratic Party represented the American people's 'deepest values' because of Clinton's time in office." (Joel Gehrke, "Obama: I'm Running For Clinton's 3rd And 4th Terms," The Washington Examiner, 4/29/12)

• "President Obama Portrayed His Presidency As An Effort To Create Bill Clinton's Third And Fourth Terms During A Fundraiser With The Former President And His Political Allies." (Joel Gehrke, "Obama: I'm Running For Clinton's 3rd And 4th Terms," The Washington Examiner, 4/29/12)

What Did Candidate Obama Think About Clinton Just Four Years Ago? Obama Accused Clinton Of Making False Statements And Said His Presidency Did Not Change "The Trajectory Of America":

Candidate Obama, On Former President Clinton's Time In Office: "I Think Ronald Reagan Changed The Trajectory Of America ... In A Way That Bill Clinton Did Not." "'I don't want to present myself as some sort of singular figure. I think part of what's different are the times. I do think that for example the 1980 was different. I think Ronald Reagan changed the trajectory of America in a way that Richard Nixon did not and in a way that Bill Clinton did not. He put us on a fundamentally different path because the country was ready for it,' Obama said during an editorial board meeting with the Reno Gazette-Journal." ("Barack Vs. Bill: Obama Hits Ex-Prez Over 'Troubling' Attacks," ABC News, 1/21/08)

Candidate Obama, In 2008: "[Former President Clinton] Continues To Make Statements That Are Not Supported By The Facts..." "'You know the former president, who I think all of us have a lot of regard for, has taken his advocacy on behalf of his wife to a level that I think is pretty troubling,' Obama said during his first morning television interview since coming in second in Nevada. 'He continues to make statements that are not supported by the facts -- whether it's about my record of opposition to the war in Iraq or our approach to organizing in Las Vegas.'" ("Barack Vs. Bill: Obama Hits Ex-Prez Over 'Troubling' Attacks," ABC News, 1/21/08)

The Obama Campaign Accused Former President Clinton Of Using "Divisive Attacks" To Promote Hillary Clinton's Campaign. "As Senator Barack Obama folded his arms and looked on, a retired Air Force general who is one of his leading military advisers forcefully defended Mr. Obama's patriotism Saturday and accused former President Bill Clinton of trying to use 'divisive attacks' to promote his wife's candidacy." (Jeff Zeleny, "Obama Adviser Steps Up His Criticism of Bill Clinton," The New York Times, 3/23/08)

"Obama Suggested Clinton's Presidency Was Paltry, A Missed Opportunity." "They fought like ferrets in 2008: Clinton suggested Obama's record was a fairy tale; Obama suggested Clinton's presidency was paltry, a missed opportunity." (Nancy Gibbs and Michael Duffy, "Inside The Presidents Club," Time Magazine, 4/23/12)

And Former President Clinton Was Just As Kind To Candidate Obama, Comparing Him To "A Gifted Television Commentator" And Calling His Foreign Policy A "Fairy Tale":

The New York Times Headline: "Bill Clinton Says Obama Isn't Ready" (Patrick Healy, "Bill Clinton Says Obama Isn't Ready," The New York Times, 12/16/07)

Former President Clinton, On Senator Obama's Experience: "When Is The Last Time We Elected A President Based On One Year Of Service In The Senate Before He Started Running..." CLINTON: "And we're prepared to roll the dice. We're prepared to ..." ... ROSE: "They are rolling the dice about America if they don't choose the person who has had the kind of experience you are talking about." BILL CLINTON: "It's less predictable, isn't it? I mean, when is the last time we elected a president based on one year of service in the Senate before he started running, and he will have been a senator longer by the time he is inaugurated, but essentially once you start running for president full time, you don't have time to do much else." (PBS's "Charlie Rose Show," 12/15/07)

• Former President Clinton: "We Could Find Someone Who Is A Gifted Television Commentator ... And Let Them Run. They Would Have Only One Year Less Experience In National Politics." CLINTON: "I mean, in theory, we could find someone who is a gifted television commentator." ROSE: "You think?" CLINTON: "And let them run. They would have only one year less experience in national politics." (PBS's "Charlie Rose Show," 12/15/07)

Former President Clinton, On Senator Obama's Foreign Policy: "The Biggest Fairy Tale I've Ever Seen." CLINTON: "He got to go through fifteen  debates, trumpeting his superior judgment and how he had been against the war in every year -- enumerating the years -- and never got asked one time, not once, 'Well, how could you say that, when you said in 2004 you didn't know how you would have voted on the Resolution?' (to use force military force in Iraq, voted on in the Senate in October 2002); you said in 2004 there was no difference between you and George Bush on the war and you took that speech you're now running on off your website in 2004, and there's no difference in your voting record and Hillary's ever since.  Give me a break.  This whole thing is the biggest fairy tale I've ever seen." (Former President Bill Clinton, Remarks, New Hampshire, 1/7/08)

Former President Clinton, On Senator Obama's Special-Interest Money: "It Is Not True That He Has Run A Campaign Without Any Special-Interest Money Influencing The Presidential Campaign."  CLINTON: "[Obama] was the only one who kept his PAC. Then in the beginning he spends 40 percent of the PAC money -- 43 percent to be exact -- on Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, South Carolina politicians. And those states constitute 3.7 percent of America's population. ... Although he also admitted that his political action committee consulted with his campaign on how to spread the money out. So, therefore, it is not true that he has run a campaign without any special-interest money influencing the presidential campaign." (Bill Clinton, Remarks To MtvU Editorial Board, 3/17/08)

Former President Clinton, On Media Coverage Of The Obama Campaign: "Shame On You." "In response, Bill Clinton said Harpootlian's comments were a distraction, and he accused the Obama campaign of funneling smears through the media. 'They are feeding you this because they know this is what you want to cover. This is what you live for," he told CNN reporter Jessica Yellin, who asked him for a response to Harpootlian at an appearance in South Carolina. 'They just spin you up on this and you happily go along,' Clinton said. As aides steered him away, he scolded: 'Shame on you.'" (Alec MacGillis And Anne E. Kornblut, "Some In Party Bristle At Clintons' Attacks," The Washington Post, 1/24/08)