Joe, I usually like your work but why are you now playing the intellectually lazy game of matching up Obama's and Clinton's insults with each other and essentially calling them a wash? Obama explained that he worked about five hours for a church project in which Rezko was involved. Hillary was on the Wal-Mart board for 6 years while the company's labor practices deteriorated. Also, when Michelle Obama runs for President it will be relevant what companies of which she sat on the boards.

And in calling the Republicans the party of ideas over the last 10-15 years, Obama went on to specifically name tax cuts as one such key idea and specifically said that those ideas did not work. He never complimented a single Republican idea, under Reagan or since, as good policy for America. So when Bill and Hillary state that Obama said Republicans had good ideas, they are either lying or they didn't read the whole quote. They're probably lying.

Ultimately I agree that it does not serve Democrats, particularly Obama, well to be involved in this back-and-forth. But that is because most voters form their impressions from headlines and sound bites lasting less than 5 seconds, rather than critical thought. If they compared who's being honest and merely trying to defend himself (Obama) to who's launching dishonest attacks (the Clintons), they'd see what's really going on here.