THE SPOKANE GAFFE
When HILLARY CLINTON's husband, William Jefferson Clinton, came to speak to Spokanites on Monday, he arrived with the reputation of being one the most eloquent, savvy orators to have ever served as president. But his remarks in Spokane did not make the sort of news he was anticipating. Instead, stories in Politico, CNN and Fox News seized upon a remark he made saying that voters should support Hillary if they believed the "country has come to the point where it can put the awful legacy of the last eight years behind us."
Yes, Bill followed that up with "and the seven years before that when we were practicing trickle-down economics and no regulation in Washington, which is what caused the crash." But right-wing pundits gleefully pointed to his remarks, suggesting that Bill agreed with Republicans that the Obama years were a disaster.
On Twitter, BERNIE SANDERS took the opportunity to seize upon the gaffe: "Don't know that I'd call President Obama's 72 straight months of job growth an 'awful legacy.'"
An aide later claimed that Bill Clinton was referring to Republican obstructionism, not Obama's legacy. But expect the remarks to later turn up in negative campaign ads anyway. (DANIEL WALTERS)
NUKES AND TORTURE
In the wake of Tuesday's ISIS bombings in Brussels that killed dozens of people and injured hundreds more, aren't you itching to hear if DONALD TRUMP would use nuclear weapons to combat terrorism?
A day before the attacks, the publisher of the Washington Post asked Trump if he would use battlefield nuclear weapons to take out ISIS. The answer didn't instill much confidence in the Republican frontrunner's nuclear strategy.
Trump said he didn't want to "start the process of nuclear." He then pivoted to how he's a "counterpuncher" and bragged about an insult he once threw at Jeb Bush. The publisher stopped him and reiterated that the question was about ISIS. Trump responded, "I'll tell you one thing: This is a very good looking group of people here. Could I just go around so I know who the hell I'm talking to?"
Trump does have some thoughts about how to stop terrorism, though, and said as much on NBC's Today show the morning of the Brussels attacks. In short, he advocated for waterboarding suspects believed to be involved and, if it were up to him, "do a lot more than waterboarding." (WILSON CRISCIONE)
