Joan Walsh writes:

"And yet I still believe Hillary Clinton is the best running mate for Barack Obama -- but I also know Bill Clinton is why Obama can't pick her. "

And:

"I can't shake the feeling that if you want to fret about why the Democratic Party isn't coming back together entirely, just yet, all that mess would be a good place to start cleaning up."

There's so much to unpack in these two statements alone that even trying boggles the mind.

Since we've all lived in a constant state of bogglement for at least eight years now, however, what else is new.

The second one in particular is crafted with so many qualifications inside of equivocations that it's really quite amazing. The basic translation is:

If you accept that there's any significant schism in the Democratic party ("if you want to fret about that". Not her, you) then this racism issue would be ("would be," i.e. only if you bought that assumption, AND wanted to do something about it) a place to start. Not a place to fix it, just a place to start.

Well, yes. If I read only Salon I would, in fact, believe that this "schism" existed, despite the fact that all polling shows that it doesn't. In fact, reading here alone, I'd believe it was quite a problem for Democrats.

What's amazing is how the editor here straddles this whole thing, on the one hand fanning the flames of this whole issue more than anywhere outside of the really hard-core Hillary die-hard sites, while keeping one firm foot in, well, what I can only describe as reality. I mean the place where this really isn't an issue.

I mean anywhere else on the "progressive" blogosphere or media this is a non-non-non issue, meaning that its mass is so small as to be neglible. Here at Salon however, this issue has an enormous mass, far beyond its size,

collapsing into a black hole that sucks everything else into its insatianle void.

Restated: Yeah it's a tiny issue but geez, get a grip. The weird part is that Hillary herself is on Obama's side. Polls show that statistically pretty much all of the Democrats are going to vote for the Democrat, and those who aren't, who knows who they would have voted for. There's simply nothing empirical to say that the PUMA vote is anything but a small amount of very vocal people. And a few very vocal online zines.

Yes, Bill should have prominent role in the convention but it's not like he's earned it.

A former Democratic president should speak at his party's convention but he should also comport himself in a manner consistent with that position.

Since leaving office Bill Clinton has done some great things but he has also done some very questionable things (Ron Burkle, Steven Bing, Khazakh oil deals...) and he refuses to answer any questions about them.

He provided lackluster campaign support for John Kerry in 2004 and in retrospect those who suggested it was because he didn't want an incumbent Democrat in office in 2008 so Hillary would have a shot have been bolstered by his aggressive campaigning for Hillary in this cycle. His disparaging remarks about Obama during the primaries (not racist but certainly race baiting) and his refusal to give the man his due now are not befitting of a past president and occur largely because of the unprecedented run for president by his wife that they chose to pursue.

Having been a Clinton supporter in the 90's and throughout the impeachment disgrace I was proud that he represented me but always wished he had done a better job. Again looking back, this campaign has changed all of that for me. It has revealed Bill Clinton as a self centered, self indulgent, mine-field of Freudian explosions. I'm sick of it, so sick of it.

I am also sick of the apparent attitude of the Clintons and many of their supporters that somehow Democrats owe them anything. They have always put themselves first and believe that the rules are different for them than any other political figures.

Forget racist, Bill Clinton is a sexist (or perhaps simply a misogynist). He has treated Hillary with less respect than any of her political opponents or those commentators who used gender as an issue in the primaries. Bill Clinton has had a series of affairs throughout their marriage, including the reckless Lewinsky affair that was a betrayal of her as well as those of us who voted for him. Yes, the impeachment was a disgrace but Bill Clinton DID have sexual relations with a 22 year old intern, in The Whitehouse, and then lied to Hillary and us about it. That's a great show of respect.

While opining that Hillary was mistreated in the primaries, Bill created many of the dust-ups that hurt Hillary and as you acknowledge Joan, Hillary cannot possibly be on this list of VP candidates because Bill refuses to come clean about his business dealings since leaving office. Let's not even start with how he has spent his evenings on his trips with Millionaire Play (frat) boys Burkle and Bing.

The Clintons have been planning Hillary's presidential run for some time now. If he had any respect for his wife and this goal, he would have kept his powder dry and set himself to that single goal.

It is shameful to now see Bill sulking around resentful that he was mistreated during the primaries, isn't being shown enough respect by the Obama campaign, and refusing to state the obvious -that Obama is eminently qualified to be President. Unlike Bill, Obama has shown excellent judgement throughout his life and has turned the traumas and complexities of his early life into constructive elements of his character as opposed to demons to be chased.

Everyone keeps talking about how the Clintons will come around and are supporting Obama's candidacy but when you ask "why was that ever in question" about Bill's role in the convention, the answer is because this campaign has turned Bill Clinton into a combustible, angry, advocate for his wife's failed campaign and it's unclear if he can be trusted to play a constructive role for the party.

If the guy can't say that Obama is qualified to be President on Tuesday where do you get the confidence that he can be adequately supportive on Friday?

I am way past the point of feeling like we owe the Clintons anything. They owe us - a break from their psychodrama.