Bill can't win it for Hillary

VOTERS WILL never elect Bill Clinton's wife as president of the United States. They may yet elect Hillary Clinton - if she makes the case.

It's tempting to believe Bill Clinton is the one super surrogate who can make the difference in his wife's presidential campaign. A new CBS/New York Times national poll indicated that 44 percent of Democratic primary voters said they were more likely to vote for Hillary Clinton because of her husband. Only 1 percent said they were more likely to vote for Barack Obama because of his celebrity backer, Oprah Winfrey.

But people don't always tell pollsters the truth. And they answer only the questions asked of them.

What if they were asked whether the former president once associated with the lyrics "Don't stop thinking about tomorrow" now reminds them of the past?

What if they were asked whether Bill Clinton's presence on the campaign trail causes them to think of Hillary Clinton more as a wife and former first lady than a candidate with personal accomplishments of her own?

And what if they were asked about comments made by a husband that periodically create controversy for his wife, the candidate? Might they label them subconscious sabotage?

While stumping for Hillary Clinton in Iowa, Bill Clinton recently said he opposed the Iraq war "from the beginning." The record shows, however, that in May 2003, Bill Clinton said, "I supported the president when he asked for authority to stand up against weapons of mass destruction in Iran." In classic Clintonian fashion, the former president later tried to clarify that discrepancy, telling a television interviewer he believed all along that United Nations inspectors should have been given more time to complete their work in Iraq prior to the United States-led invasion.

Anytime Bill Clinton reminds voters of his past pattern of waffling and dissembling, he undercuts Hillary Clinton, who is criticized for the same thing. It's true even when he's joking, as when he told Iowans, "I always tell people when I speak that you're entitled to discount what I have to say."

In Ames, Iowa, Bill Clinton said that during their dating days, he recognized Hillary as one of the great talents of their generation and told her to "dump me" and go work at a big law firm as a springboard to office. He said she answered, "Oh, first, I love you, and second, I'm never going to run for anything." In her book, "Living History," Hillary Clinton said she turned down his marriage proposals because she was uncertain about her future and scared of commitment and "of Bill's intensity."

Foggy memories or foggy facts? With the Clintons, there's always some doubt, and that's something you don't want to raise now with voters.

Bill and Hillary Clinton stayed married for better or worse. For better or worse, the record of Bill Clinton's presidency is Hillary Clinton's, too. But must they also stick with a for-better-or-worse campaign strategy?

Let the ex-president go to those states scheduled to hold primaries on Feb. 5. Let the aspiring president try to do what she must do in Iowa and New Hampshire to capture the nomination. First, she must be her own person. She can do that with daughter Chelsea at her side. Her husband comes with political baggage.

In debates, she has shown intellect and potential to take charge and lead. She still must show conviction, vision, and ability to inspire.

At this point, it's not about asking voters to judge Bill Clinton's two White House terms. It's about getting them to invest in Hillary Clinton's first term. She's the only one who can tell voters what she will fight for.

Bill Clinton can tell Hillary Clinton what it's like to scratch back from the brink of political death. That's what he did in 1992, when his campaign was jolted by scandals. But he can't do it for her. Besides, the second-place finish in New Hampshire that relaunched Bill as the comeback kid probably won't be enough to sustain Hillary's campaign.

According to news accounts, Bill Clinton is alarmed by his wife's slide in the polls and anxious to do what he can to reverse the trend.

If that's true, he should start thinking more like a political strategist, and less like a celebrity spouse. It's more than time for Hillary Clinton to show voters who she is, not remind them who her husband is.

Joan Vennochi's e-mail address is vennochi@globe.com