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Ta-Nehisi Coates

Ta-Nehisi Coates - Ta-Nehisi Coates is a senior editor for The Atlantic, where he writes about culture, politics, and social issues for TheAtlantic.com and the magazine. He is the author of the memoir The Beautiful Struggle. More

Born in 1975, the product of two beautiful parents. Raised in West Baltimore—not quite The Wire, but sometimes ill all the same. Studied at the Mecca for some years in the mid-’90s. Emerged with a purpose, if not a degree. Slowly migrated up the East Coast with a baby and my beloved, until I reached the shores of Harlem. Wrote some stuff along the way.

The incredible arrogance of Bill Clinton

By Ta-Nehisi Coates
Aug 25 2008, 3:46 PM ET Comment

As I've said, I don't doubt that Obama's people pushed this idea that Bill Clinton was race-baiting in the primaries. Frankly, I don't care if he was or wasn't. But it's shocking to see that the dude who flew home to see Ricky Ray Rector executed, who invented the Sista Soulja moment is actually still pissed at Obama. World-class primary-denier Howard Wolfson offers a list of steps that Obama should take which basically amount to holding Billy's hand and treating him like a 12-year old girl who got dumped for the first time:

Senator Obama would go a long way towards healing these wounds if he were to specifically praise the accomplishments of the Clinton presidency in a line or two during his speech on Thursday.
Whatever, dude. I mean, I'm sure Obama will do exactly that, but the idea that people should cater to the amazing smallness of this dude strains good sense. His anger is clearly more important to him than the fate of his country. This is what must have driven Andrew and Hitch insane. Bill Clinton carries this sense of having been perpetually wronged--the game is only fair when he wins. I think what must burn him up the most is (assuming that it's true that the Obama people pushed the race-baiting angle) that Obama actually Sista Souljahed Clinton, that he took a few minor mis-statements used them to paint Bill as, well, exactly what he was.

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