Good Luck With That! 
Clinton representatives continue negotiations with the Barack Obama transition, trying to cut a deal allowing the disinfectant of democracy to shine upon the Clinton Foundation, the Clinton Library, and Bill himself, reflecting their glory back upon America’s hoped for champion abroad, Hillary Clinton.
From press accounts it seems all rather murky.
What’s at stake is what Bill Clinton has, where he got it, and what he discloses. He’s not giving up without a fight, according to the Wall Street Journal’s sources:
“Mr. Clinton’s willingness to disclose future charitable and profitable ventures is consistent with his pledge during his wife’s presidential campaign. While he refused to release past donations and payments, these people say, he said he would disclose information going forward if Sen. Clinton became president. His pledge now to reveal some prior donations is a concession to the Obama team.”
And if anyone makes a fuss, he did it for the children:
“Mr. Clinton wouldn’t return any money already collected from foreign political and business leaders, even if it has stirred controversy, according to one person close to the talks, largely because those funds have been spent on programs such as campaigns to alleviate AIDS and hunger.”
The Hillary Clinton people appear to be giving themselves a defense in advance against any Bill Clinton money blow-back:
“One Democrat who advised her campaign said few of her senior strategists knew anything about the former president’s business arrangements and whether they would hold up under scrutiny if she won the nomination.”
And besides, so’s your old man:
“One Clinton adviser noted that former President George H.W. Bush has given paid speeches and participated in international business ventures since his son, George W. Bush, has been president — without stirring public complaints or controversy about a possible conflict of interest. “
The best part of the Journal story is that the Clinton negotiating team includes Doug Band, Bill Clinton’s dickish assistant.
Band’s comic stylings enlivened Senator Clinton’s sinking Presidential campaign, when writing as “The Office of Former President Clinton” he unleashed a weird and meandering complaint about a Todd Purdam’s Vanity Fair story saying Bill Clinton had lost it.
Part of Purdam’s offense to all things decent and Clinton was a claim that Band’s handbag magnate wife was insulted in the piece, apparently by the mention of handbags.
Don’t Mess With America’s Widow
! 
The beatification of Nancy Reagan took a further step Friday, when Barack Obama learned that inept jokes referencing her obsession with astrology were forbidden.
Obama was responding to a pointless spray of Presidential cliches [“Have you spoken to any living ex-presidents, what books you might be reading? Â
Everyone wants to know, what kind of dog are you going to buy for your girls? Have you decided on a private or public school for your daughters?”]
Rather than saying something about the sagacity of his illustrious forebearers, Obama made a crack about Nancy’s stargazing before launching into a detailed discussion of the family’s puppy considerations:
“In terms of speaking to former presidents, I’ve spoken to all of them that are living. Obviously, President Clinton — I didn’t want to get into a Nancy Reagan thing about, you know, doing any seances.“

Newsmax Nancy boys lept to the attack, rolling out Nancy’s claim she only turned to the stars after Reagan’s shooting, a story blown up twenty years ago. 
The nominally more respectable Politico reached for the eveready example of Hillary Clinton, proving once more that any Republican behavior may be explained by the cool kids doing it at some future point.
Late in the day Obama caved and called Nancy.
No Greater Friend, No Worse Enemy 
Jackie Calmes reports a glitch in the Democrats unity stampede:
“Some in the Clinton camp also noted a possible problem for a party-unity ticket: Bill Clinton may balk at releasing records of his business dealings and big donors to his presidential library.”
Purdum Pulls The Trigger 
The latest on Bill “my office is in Harlem” Clinton’s adventures is served up in Vanity Fair‘s July issue by the magazine’s own star map of Washington, Todd Purdum.
It’s a delightful medley of old scandal and new.
Reviewing Clinton pants-down matters, Purdum reports on “… recent high-end Hollywood dinner-party gossip that Clinton has been seen visiting with the actress Gina Gershon in California,” but Gawker had this almost six months ago.
Purdum does better provoking post presidential spokesman Jay Carson on Clinton pal and billionaire boys club headmaster Ron Burkle. Carson reveals a longing for the opposition’s Fuhrer Principle:
“The ills of the Democratic Party can be seen perfectly in the willingness of fellow Democrats to say bad things about President Clinton. If you ask any Republican about Reagan they will say he still makes the sun rise in the morning, but if you ask Democrats about their only two-term president in 80 years, a man who took the party from the wilderness of loserdom to the White House and created the strongest economy in American history, they’d rather be quoted saying what a reporter wants to hear than protect a strong brand for the party. Republicans look at this behavior and laugh at us.â€
A thorough reading of the New York Times and Wall Street Journal leads Purdum to conclude Clinton is asking for bad press.
“But it is also beyond dispute that Clinton has blended the altruistic efforts of his philanthropy with the private business interests of some of his biggest donors in ways that are surpassingly sloppy, if not unseemly, for any former president.”
Purdum’s catchall excuse for differentiating Clinton from the cash which flowed to former president’s Reagan, Bush, and Ford is that “their wives never ran for president,” as though Clinton coverage only started with Hillary’s run. The current White House occupant goes unmentioned, along with Barbara Bush using the Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund as a pass-through to troubled son Neil.
Mama Tried 
Craggy! 
South Dakota’s favorite sons look down on an aspirant.