A FUNNY THING HAPPENED...

Posted at 7:06 a.m. ET

We've been watching, utterly fascinated, as the Hillary Clinton saga unfolds...for the hundredth time.

We've been watching, equally fascinated, as the Bill Clinton saga unfolds...for the five hundredth time.

Did Obama plan it this way?

It began with rumors that Obama, in (spin alert) an act of statesmanship, generosity and goodness, was weighing the appointment of Hillary Clinton as secretary of state.  Fuel was added when Clinton flew to Chicago to see the prince.  Nothing was done by either the Obama team or the Clinton perpetual war room to stop wagging tongues.

Now, as either Laurel or Hardy used to say, "what a fine mess."  Suddenly the story isn't about Hil, but about Bill.  Not about statesmanship, but about fast bucks and shady deals.  Not about quick confirmation of the "inspired" choice, but about probes into Bill's money machine.  Not about the discipline of the Obama staff, moving brilliantly through an election campaign, but about staff members with knives out, talking to friendly journalists.

As Obama might now be saying, "A funny thing happened to me on the way to the White House..."  The Clintons happened.  And when the Clintons happen, it's all Clinton all the time. 

He's got to appoint her.  After all the publicity, he can't not...unless she withdraws in the face of the questions about Bill, which would humiliate her and make her even angrier than normal.  Or, Obama could bite the speeding bullet and reach some "accommodation" with her because Bill's activities create too many conflicts of interest.  A lot of the Clintons' newly found fortune comes from the Middle East, and not from Bill giving Bar Mitzvah greetings in Israel.  Cash from oil kingdoms:  Big, big, problem.

The New York Daily News reports that Obama staff is talking, and it's not friendly talk.  Hil is a New York senator.  She'll be reading this.  The Clintons live about ten minutes from us, here in New York.  I already heard the explosion this morning and saw the sky light with fire:

Aides to Obama are already pouring over some of the former president's overseas links, which include everything from his giving top dollar speeches to foreign entities, to millions raised by Clinton for his presidential foundation.

The issue is both simple and complex: How to make sure that Bill Clinton's international fundraising — from heads of state and others — would not conflict with his wife's very public duties as the nation's top diplomat. 

This is staff mischief.  You can see the little smiles.

"That's the first and most important hurdle," one senior adviser to Obama told The New York Times. "He does good work. No one wants it to stop, but a structure to avoid conflicts must be thought of."

Beyond that is the question how to handle differences of opinion that may arise between the two Clintons — one public, the other private — on, say, combatting AIDS in Africa or some other dicey international crisis.

While some information about Clinton's international fundraising has already been made public, the expectation is that the former president will have to cough up more to satisfy worried Obama aides.

Would you just look at those code words:  "hurdle," "conflicts," "differences of opinion," "worried Obama aides."  That's art, my friends.  That's political art. 

I wonder what Michelle must be thinking about all this.  She looks over at State and sees, not only another high-profile woman, but another first lady. Was this thought out?

So the Clintons are back in the spotlight.  Let the backbiting begin!  Is this a brilliant stroke by Obama, or his first major blunder?  Whichever it is, some of the publicity has suddenly turned foggy.

Consider it, Mr. President-elect, a learning experience.

November 18, 2008.