WASHINGTON — Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's rivals for the Democratic presidential nomination often deliver oblique criticisms of her role in the turbulent administration of her husband, labeling her a Washington insider and calling on voters to "turn the page" on an era of political polarization.
But as Wednesday night's New Hampshire primary debate showed, Clinton's rivals are moving closer to translating that innuendo into full-bore attacks on some of the more unpleasant memories of the Clinton years, with its failed healthcare plan, impeachment and frequent showdowns with the GOP.
"The old stuff," as one rival, Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. of Delaware, put it during one memorable moment in the debate.
Clinton's campaign has largely benefited from her years as first lady, which have given her the imprimatur of experience while tapping into Democratic voters' nostalgia. But Wednesday's encounter showed that, as her front-runner status solidifies in polls, Clinton faces an unusual balancing act of absorbing the popular parts of her family legacy while deflecting the unpopular.
Repeatedly Wednesday night, sometimes at the urging of moderator Tim Russert and sometimes by the design of the candidates, the discussion turned to the Clinton administration and the former president himself -- and to the wisdom of nominating another Clinton. The candidate herself seemed happy to tout her special relationship with a man whose approval rating among Democrats hovers near 90%, but she bristled at the suggestion that her candidacy would offer more of the same old thing.
"From my perspective, you know, the values that he acted on, on behalf of our country, both at home and abroad, are ones that stand the test of time," Clinton said. "But look, I'm running on my own."
Clinton invoked the prosperity of her husband's term, quoting accolades from former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan and arguing that President Bush's administration had squandered a Clinton-era surplus that would have left Social Security solvent until the middle of the 21st century.
Yet time and again, she was forced to deal with other aspects of the Clinton White House years.
Although nobody directly addressed the impeachment fight that defined so much of President Clinton's second term and still colors the way many Americans view the Clintons, it was clearly a backdrop to the discussion -- as when Biden, filling an awkward silence following his "old stuff" remark, added: "When I say 'old stuff,' I'm referring to policy -- policy."
