Bill Clinton freelances

Back from the World Cup, and buoyed by his success in helping Blanche Lincoln defeat Bill Halter in Arkansas, Bill Clinton has endorsed former state House Speaker Andrew Romanoff who is challenging appointed Colorado Democratic Senator Michael Bennet in a primary. Clinton’s endorsement puts Clinton on the opposite side from the White House. Readers may recall that White House Deputy Chief of Staff Jim Messina attempted to induce Romanoff not challenge Bennet through talk of a government job.
The polls suggest that Romanoff is very much of a long shot in his race against Bennet. Nor can Clinton expect to have the impact in Colorado that he had in Arkansas.
In short, this does not look like opportunism on Clinton’s part. Rather, the best explanation for the endorsement seems to be that Romanoff supported Hillary Clinton in 2008.
Still, I wonder whether Clinton would be breaking ranks with President Obama this way if he did not sense Obama’s weakness. And if Obama’s weakness deepens, I wonder whether we’ll be seeing a lot more of Bill Clinton, and what kind of advice he might start whispering in his wife’s ear.