As Election ’08 rattles on, the question arises time and again among pundits – is Bill helping or hurting Hillary’s chances? Others are wondering if it is proper for a former chief executive to be stumping so blatantly in the first place. If we were to look back a few years, it would seem that the presidents played a refrained note in promoting their favorite. While Bubba is working himself into a lather for Mrs. Clinton (for once), Bush Sr. by comparison was a somber siren for his eldest son in both 2000 and 2004. But in reality, presidents sitting and sedentary usually have no political clout to give – for the simple reason that they are either politically spent or dead when then next election rolls around. Both Al Gore and John Kerry actively distanced themselves from Clinton and the fresh memories of Lewinsky and last-minute pardons. Poor Reagan was already in the early stages of memory decline when his vice-president was up for promotion. Before them, the graduating class went Carter, Ford, Nixon, and LBJ - hardly the names one wants to invoke when talking about victory. One has to go back to 1960 to see White House alumni pounding the pavement for their favorite sons. And it was ugly. Truman and Eisenhower, former allies in the wars against the Axis and Moscow, went headlong against each other in the fight for party supremacy. Before that, it was 1908 and Teddy Roosevelt pumping up his corpulent hand-picked successor in William Howard Taft, a man he would actively campaign AGAINST in 1912. In this age of consumption and short memory, Bill Clinton must be seen for what he is – a brand name – powerful purely because it is so recognizable. When plodding to the polls, it can be said that the modern American will almost always side with the familiar. Case in point - from the years 1800 to 1900, only six presidents were reelected. From 1900, twelve presidents were given extensions. And since 1981, its been a Bush or a Clinton in the executive branch. Once again, with a Clinton in the race, its Coke versus Pepsi for the American mindset. The only question that remains - will Jeb Bush try his hand in 2012? T.Flagel