Clintons Play "Rope-a-Dope" with Obama

On October 30th 1974 Muhammad Ali faced off with George Foreman for boxing's world heavyweight title in Kinshasa, Zaire in a bout billed as the "Rumble in the Jungle". Foreman was considered "invincible" he had strength, speed and was seven years younger than the 32-year-old Ali. Foreman was favored to win in the fight because of his youth and skill but Ali had experience, speed, skill and cunning.

Ali used a technique called "rope-a-dope" to wear out his youthful opponent. Ali fought well and when he wanted to save his strength he would lure Foreman toward the ropes where he would use his arms to protect his body, lean back on the ropes and let Foreman flail away at his arms and gloves. While he was lying against the ropes Ali would taunt Foreman saying, "Is that all you got George?....My Grandma punches harder than you do....You supposed to be bad!" The surly Foreman would become enraged at his opponent's taunting and flail away uselessly as Ali held up his guard and let the ropes absorb the impact from Foreman's punishing assaults.

By the eighth round Foreman's strength for the rumble was spent. Ali had judged rightly that the moment to finish-off his opponent had come. As Foreman staggered from the momentum of his last punch, Ali countered with two rights, a left hook and a final right that sent Foreman into a slow spin to the mat. Muhammad Ali won by a knockout over the invincible George Foreman.

Thirty-four years later, that fight in Zaire is being replayed in the political arena in the bout to win the title as the Democratic Party's 2008 presidential nominee. The Clintons are playing Muhammad Ali to Barack Obama's George Foreman. The recent Democratic Party candidate's debate in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina set in motion the events that will send Barack Obama's campaign as the Democratic Party's 2008 presidential nominee into a slow spin toward the gentle environs of mat-land.

One has to admire the Clinton's canny political instincts. After a series of campain trail jabs against the Illinois Senator by the battling Clintons, Mrs. Clinton took an opportunity in the South Carolina debate to castigate Senator Obama on his praise of Ronald Reagan. Senator Obama quickly became visibly flustered by the sharp criticism and spluttered a few phrases about how he was only complementing Reagan for his ability to sell his ideas to the Democratic electorate against their own best interests. Mrs. Clinton then floated in like a butterfly to sting Obama like a bee on his flip-flopping on the war in Iraq. The New York Senator pointed out that Obama voiced opposition to the war but went ahead and approved funding for the Iraq war anyway and then tagged him with the charge that he had even removed the transcript of an anti-war from his website.

That's when Obama had his George Foreman moment. He sputtered, he fluttered, he flailed his arms mechanically and that's when he busted in with, "While I was working on those streets watching those folks see their jobs shift overseas, you were a corporate lawyer sitting on the board at Wal-Mart". He then raised his voice to say, "I was fighting these fights." and repeated "I was fighting these fights." You could see Mrs. Clinton's face brighten. She was positively beaming. She knew she had gotten to the ever-cool, ever-poised Obama and she was in familiar territory because mud wrestling is what the Clintons do best. Her thoughts may have been, "Oh you want to wrestle in the mud? I love to mud wrestle, I'm really good at it too." Mrs. Clinton then shot back with "Well, you know, I think we both have very passionate and committed spouses who stand up for us. And I'm proud of that. But you also talked about the Republicans having ideas over the last 10 to 15 years. I was fighting against those ideas when you were practicing law and representing your contributor, Rezco, in his slum landlord business in inner city Chicago." At this the crowd gasped probably not ever hearing of Tony Rezco and his ethical lapses.

Mrs. Clinton was able to get the cool-as-a-cucumber and logical Obama to look angry, flustered and petulant, qualities that would disqualify him as presidential material to voters in contrast to the Mandarin-like Junior Senator from New York who is well versed in maintaining her cool under pressure. In fact while on the stump in the Palmetto State Mr. Clinton remarked "I know you think it's crazy, but I kind of like to see Barack and Hillary fight,". The tag team of Clinton and Clinton have Obama swinging at their gloves. The Clintons love a good fight and now they've led Obama to the ropes. Expect a knock-out punch from the duo in the eighth round.