Why is Bill due to speak just before just before the V-P nominee?

An intriguing piece of news overnight is the report that Bill Clinton, whose relationship with Obama has never been easy, has been given the slot at the Denver convention just before the V-P nominee.

This can only mean, surely, that the chosen person is totally acceptable to the Clintons and, indeed, might be a major part of the healing between the two factions that has become so necessary. For even in the run-up to Denver there’s been talk of pro-Hillary demonstrations and demands for roll call votes by many of her supporters who have yet to reconcile themselves fully with the outcome of the primary process.

So given that it’s a near certainty that the running mate will not be Hillary then, surely, the choice is someone who enables Bill to be brought on board?

What better person than Wes Clark – the former Supreme Allied Commander, Europe – who like Clinton was a fellow Rhodes scholar at Oxford and who also grew up in Arkansas? He has also known Bill for forty years.

As Jonathan Allen on VP Watch notes: “Clark endorsed Hillary Clinton in the Democratic primary, and he has been so closely identified with the Clintons that it would be hard for them to be anything less than fully supportive of the ticket if he were on it.”

As was noted here on Monday the V-P conference speech is on a day devoted to “security” and no doubt the former President would like to contrast the success of his foreign policy in Kosovo with the Bush record on Iraq. Wes Clark, of course, was in charge in Kosovo.

I got 25/1 on Clark on Monday and am starting to think that my V-P betting account could show a nice profit after all.

Mike Smithson