Over at TAP Online, Tom Schaller examines Bill Clinton's role as campaign surrogate:
Obama's frustration derives from a painful truth: Bill Clinton is an electoral powerhouse, a surrogate nonpareil. And what makes him particularly impressive is that he is not only a certifiable celebrity, but one whose command over policy issues generally -- and his wife's platform specifically -- gives his stump appearances a substantiveness that few spouses can deliver. The compelling and impressive biographies of Michele Obama or Elizabeth Edwards notwithstanding, there simply has never been a spousal surrogate of Bill Clinton's caliber in the history of presidential politics.
Meanwhile, Kate Sheppard looks at Mike Huckabee's cultivation of government-loving Republicans':
His opponents and much of the Republican establishment have painted his populism and record as governor as weaknesses, but they might actually be the key to his success with conservative voters who recognize the value of government -- and not just when it comes to keeping gays from marrying and women from having abortions. It's not a big enough block to win Florida or the primary for Huckabee -- not yet at least -- but he has staked out an edge with the growing number of Republican voters who support investment in the public school system, government action on climate change, and tighter regulation of big business, departing in many ways from what has been the established norm in the party.
--The Editors
