Is Bill Clinton undermining Obama's campaign?

The former president seems to break with the Obama line
that tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans must end on Jan. 1, 2013. Has
the Big Dog gone rogue?

Oops! First, former President Bill Clinton
hailed Mitt Romney's business record as "sterling." Then he seemed to
side with the GOP on extending the Bush tax cuts.
Photo: Brendan Hoffman/Getty Images
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Best Opinion: Politico, Power Line, TPM

Bill Clinton has become an increasingly visible surrogate for President Obama's re-election campaign — but he keeps straying off-message.
First, Clinton praised GOP challenger Mitt Romney's "sterling" business
career, undercutting Obama's attacks on Romney's Bain Capital years.
Then, on CNBC this week, Clinton suggested extending Bush-era tax cuts
into early 2013, despite Obama's avowal to end the breaks for the
wealthiest Americans when they expire at year's end. Republicans
trumpeted Clinton's remarks as proof he supports the Right's position,
while a Clinton spokesman insisted that the former president is in sync
with Obama, but simply thinks Congress will have to delay a decision. Is
Clinton undermining Obama's campaign message?

Clinton is creating painful headaches for Obama: Clinton is in "full Mr. Hyde mode," says Byron Tau at Politico,
"sucking up all the media oxygen" and generating headline after
headline about his apparent split with Obama. Clinton did the same thing
to Hillary in 2008, swinging wildly "between effective surrogate and
major headache." And now, with Obama's supposed political friend
questioning a "signature part" of his re-election pitch, the president's
"political enemies don't need to do too much" to skewer Obama.
"Bill Clinton ditches Obama message — again"

Actually, Clinton might be saving Obama from himself: Obama might be able to bring Cory Booker and other "lesser Democrats" in line, says Steven Hayward at Power Line,
but "you can't leash the Big Dog." It's possible that this is crafty
payback for Obama's 2008 defeat of Hillary Clinton in the primaries, but
more likely, Clinton, the master politician, "knows that Obama's class
warfare strategy is a loser," and he's trying "to force Obama to change
course while he still has time."
"What is the Big Dog up to?"

Hold on. Clinton and Obama actually agree: Clinton isn't "undercutting Obama's message," says Brian Beutler at Talking Points Memo.
Far from caving to Republicans, he's in complete agreement with Obama
that tax cuts for the wealthy don't stimulate the economy, and thus have
to go. But the federal government is in danger of running off a "fiscal
cliff" on Jan. 1 when massive automatic spending cuts kick in at the
same time the tax cuts expire. Clinton is merely saying Congress will
have to avert that danger before wading into a battle over millionaires'
tax rates. Let's be very clear: This is a "manufactured story," and
Clinton is most definitely not kneecapping Obama.
"The manufactured story of the week"