Obama Wants to Put a Gag Order On BILL Clinton

Heck if Hillary could control her husband she probably would have done better in the primaries. While everyone assumed that the reason for the Hillary appointment as Sec of State had to do with the vetting process, the delay is because of a commitment the Obama team wants out of Bill Clinton.

Bill makes his money traveling world and making speeches, the Obama team wants the ex-president to have his speech commitments pre-approved by the Obama administration. Read the story below:

A Wrinkle in the Obama-Clinton Negotiations November 18, 2008 9:03 PM

Behind the scenes of the Obama Transition Team's vetting of the finances of former President Bill Clinton in order for Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-NY, to be named Secretary of State, a complication has emerged.

Sources say the complication is not what Bill Clinton is willing to disclose in terms of the people who have donated to his presidential library or his charitable organizations; those names are being provided to the Obama Transition Team, led by John Podesta, who was also Bill Clinton's White House chief of staff.

What seems more potentially problematic is not revealing what's happened in the past -- but what the Obama Team wants to do about the future.

The view from Camp Clinton is that the Obama Team would too severely restrict what Bill Clinton is able to do to simply make a living. One source says the Obama Team seems to think it can demand that the former president abide by the restrictions put on a general government official, which just isn't tenable.

There has even been talk of the Obama White House wanting to approve every speech the former President Gives gives, or any new source of income.

And while the former President's team says he's willing to disclose that information ahead of time, they aren't willing to submit each speech opportunity for approval.

George H.W. Bush had no similar restrictions when he son was President, Clinton advocates say. Why would Bill Clinton have to stop doing what former presidents do -- traveling the world, giving speeches, raising money for charitable works -- when his wife is a mere Cabinet official?

The view is that this is the portfolio of a former President; to eliminate it -- especially when Hillary Clinton still has more than $6 million in debt from her campaign -- is unreasonable.

There has been some pushback from the Clinton Team on some of the restrictions they feel are way too severe.

None of which is to say the Obama-Clinton folks won't be able to come to some sort of agreement. Just that it's a bit complicated as of right now.

The Obama folks would not comment.