MSNBC's Brewer cropped Bill Clinton interview omitting remarks praising Obama

On the September 29 edition of MSNBC Live, after asserting that former President Bill Clinton "seemed to give" Sen. Barack Obama "a half-hearted endorsement" during an interview broadcast on NBC's Meet the Press the previous day, host Contessa Brewer aired a heavily cropped version of Clinton's remarks, falsely suggesting that Clinton had not said he "admires" Obama and omitting his statement that Obama's "greatness will ... become apparent" when he is elected.

Brewer said: "Former President Bill Clinton was on Meet the Press, and he seemed to give Barack Obama a half-hearted endorsement. When pressed, the former president couldn't even give Obama bigger props than those he gave Republican opponent John McCain." She then aired the following portions of Clinton's interview with host Tom Brokaw:

BROKAW: Would you use the same words for him that you have used for Senator McCain -- that you admire him, and that you think he's a --

CLINTON: I certainly --

BROKAW: -- and that he's a great man?

CLINTON: Well, I don't -- look, I had my first conversation with him in my entire life in Harlem. ... Hillary's the one who told me to go help him. She said, "This guy's got real skills."

But in remarks MSNBC did not air during the segment, Clinton also said, "I am developing a really good relationship with Senator Obama and I certainly admire him." Clinton also stated of Obama: "When he becomes president, he'll be doing things for the American people and for the world and he is -- and the greatness will then become apparent because of the good he'll do. And I think that's what I very much believe is going to happen."

Additionally, the MSNBC video clip misleadingly cropped Clinton's statement, "Hillary's the one who told me to go help him. She said, 'This guy's got real skills.' " Omitting what Clinton had said just before, the clip as cropped falsely suggested that Clinton said he was going to "go help" Obama's presidential campaign only at Sen. Hillary Clinton's request. But Clinton was in fact referring to his appearance at a fundraiser for Obama's Senate campaign in 2004. In response to Brokaw's statement, "You had never talked to him before that meeting," between Clinton and Obama on September 11, Clinton said: "Oh, I'd talked to him, but always in passing. I did a fundraiser for him when he ran for the Senate in 2004. I saw him briefly at Senator [Edward M.] Kennedy's 75th birthday party. I had always, you know, I was -- Hillary's the one who told me to go help him. She said, 'This guy's got real skills. He's got almost unlimited potential.' And I -- she -- so I did and I've always thought he was a really commanding presence."

From the September 28 edition of NBC's Meet the Press:

BROKAW: You know, we like to keep track of records here on Meet the Press, as you're well aware. We looked at this interview that Tim [Russert] did with you a year ago at the Clinton Initiative -- Global Initiative, and at that time, you predicted that John McCain would be the Republican nominee at a time when a lot of people thought he was --

CLINTON: He was dead.

BROKAW: -- toast, in political terms. But you said as well, at that time, "I've disagreed with him, but I have admired him." And then to Maria Bartiromo last week, you said, "I have never concealed my admiration and affection for Senator McCain. I think he's a great man. But I think on the issues that matter to our future, the Obama-Biden team is more right."

CLINTON: I do believe that. And I think Senator Obama has shown a remarkable ability to learn and grow in this campaign. He always was highly intelligent and always a very good politician. He got the change -- the fundamental change in -- in the calendar of this Democratic primary process, of which we were engaged, his energy program kept getting better through the campaign, his health care program kept getting better. I think what you want in a president at a time like this is somebody with good instincts who generally starts in the right position and then just keeps getting better and that's what he's done.

BROKAW: Would you use the same words for him that you have used for Senator McCain -- that you admire him, and that you think he's a --

CLINTON: I certainly --

BROKAW: -- and that he's a great man?

CLINTON: Well, I don't -- look, I had my first conversation with him in my entire life in Harlem.

BROKAW: You had never talked to him before that meeting.

CLINTON: Oh, I'd talked to him, but always in passing. I did a fundraiser for him when he ran for the Senate in 2004. I saw him briefly at Senator Kennedy's 75th birthday party. I had always, you know, I was -- Hillary's the one who told me to go help him. She said, "This guy's got real skills. He's got almost unlimited potential."

And I -- she -- so I did and I've always thought he was a really commanding presence. What I mean by saying that about McCain is, you know, most people would've been broken by what he went through. Oh, we would've been happy just to give him an attaboy and a medal and let him wander through life. I think his greatness is that he keeps trying to come back to service without ever asking people to cut him any slack or feel sorry for him or any of that stuff because he was a POW.

But I -- I genuinely, you know, I am developing a really good relationship with Senator Obama and I certainly admire him. And I know he saw and imagined the way this thing could develop, this political year and this economic situation in a way that is left him in a position of leadership he's in now.

And I think that the rest of us should admire that. That's a big part of leadership: being able to sense, as well as see, the future.

BROKAW: But I get the sense that you think that he has the potential for greatness, but he's not yet arrived at that station.

CLINTON: Well, he would probably agree with that. I mean, he was, you know, until -- he was in the state senate until 2005 and then he began a campaign for president, which is, in all probability, will be successful, and those are very great accomplishments. But they're the personal accomplishments.

When he becomes president, he'll be doing things for the American people and for the world and he is -- and the greatness will then become apparent because of the good he'll do. And I think that's what I very much believe is going to happen.

From the 10 a.m. ET hour of the September 29 edition of MSNBC Live:

BREWER: Let's talk presidential politics now, and Barack Obama's campaign may be wondering, "You know, with friends like this, who needs enemies?" Former President Bill Clinton was on Meet the Press, and he seemed to give Barack Obama a half-hearted endorsement. When pressed, the former president couldn't even give Obama bigger props than those he gave Republican opponent John McCain.

[begin video clip]

BROKAW: Would you use the same words for him that you have used for Senator McCain -- that you admire him, and that you think he's a --

CLINTON: I certainly --

BROKAW: -- and that he's a great man?

CLINTON: Well, I don't -- look, I had my first conversation with him in my entire life in Harlem. ... Hillary's the one who told me to go help him. She said, "This guy's got real skills."

[end video clip]

BREWER: Joining us now to talk about the Bill Clinton factor in this presidential race, Roger Simon, chief political columnist for the Politico. Roger, when you hear a clip like the one we just played, how do you interpret President Clinton's attitude toward Barack Obama?

SIMON: It doesn't even seem to be half-hearted. It's like quarter-hearted or eighth-hearted. This is a man who is still angry. I think he is angry that Hillary Clinton was not offered the vice presidency. Maybe she would've turned it down, but she didn't get offered it. She wasn't even on Barack Obama's short list. I think both Clintons are upset about that.

And I think Bill Clinton still believes, as he said during the primary campaign, that the Obama campaign played the race card against him; that he didn't really make racially charged statements -- the Obama campaign interpreted it that way. And I think there is still bad blood between the two sides.

And thirdly, Bill Clinton is well aware that if on November 4, Barack Obama loses this race, people are going to say -- some people are going to say -- "Hey, we should have nominated Hillary in the first place," and she would be the leading contender for 2012.

BREWER: Does Bill Clinton's opinion, or lack of opinion, or half-hearted, quarter-hearted opinion -- does it even matter?

SIMON: It matters somewhat. It matters to the base. You know, it's one of the strangest reversals in modern political history that Bill Clinton started off the primary campaign for his wife as her ambassador to black voters, and by the end of the primary campaign, he was her ambassador to white working-class voters. Those are people that Barack Obama could still need an ambassador to and could still need some help with, and Bill Clinton is clearly not going out there and helping very much.

BREWER: If Obama wins this year, he presumably would be the Democratic candidate in the year 2012. Is that what this is about, that Bill Clinton wants to set a clear path now for his wife come the next presidential election?

SIMON: I think they're torn. I think both Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton, lifelong Democrats, do believe in their hearts that the country and world would be better off with a Democratic president in 2008. On the other hand, they're both politicians, they're both savvy about how things work. They both know that if Barack Obama gets in this time, he's gonna be the nominee in 2012 -- he'll be the incumbent president -- and the chances of Hillary Clinton running in 2016 are pretty remote.

BREWER: Roger, it's great to talk to you as always. Thank you for your time today.

SIMON: Hey, thank you.