By Pamela Gentry, Senior Political Producer 

June 30, 2008 – If there’s any truth to a report from the British newspaper The Telegraph, former President Bill Clinton is a long way from bumping fists with Barack Obama. In fact, the paper reports, Clinton is still so infuriated with the Illinois senator for the nastiness that surfaced during the primary campaign that he said Obama will “have to kiss his ass” to get his support for the presidency.

According to the newspaper, a friend of the former president said: “He’s been angry for a while. But everyone thought he would get over it. He hasn’t. I’ve spoken to a couple of people who he’s been in contact with and he is mad as hell. He’s saying he’s not going to reach out, that Obama has to come to him. One person told me that Bill said Obama would have to quote kiss my ass close quote, if he wants his support. “

It’s common knowledge that Clinton is still angry that Obama, a relative newcomer to national politics, defeated his wife for the Democratic nomination, and the former president blames Obama for the beating his own rep took during the primary. Many African Americans, who once revered Bill Clinton as a friend of Blacks, have since described him as racist following comments linking Obama to the Rev. Jesse Jackson and references to Obama living a “fairytale.”

Last weekend, Bill Clinton was conspicuously absent from the Unity, N.H., lovefest between Obama and the former first lady, which raised questions about the former president’s feelings about the presumed nominee.

The Telegraph source is quoted as telling the former president, “You can’t talk like that about Obama – he’s the nominee of your party, not some house boy you can order around.”

By Pamela Gentry, Senior Political Producer

June 29, 2008 – Sen. Barack Obama is planning to take two trips this summer – one to the Middle East and one to Europe.  The trips will allow him to see firsthand America’s progress in these regions while boosting his national security credentials. 

His Republican challenger, Sen. John McCain has challenged Obama’s experience and readiness to handle foreign affairs, including the U.S. military presence in Iraq and Afghanistan.  McCain considers issues of national security his strong suit because his extensive military service and more than 20 years in Congress. 

Obama will visit Israel, Jordan, Germany, France and Britain this summer, but his campaign made no mention of Iraq and Afghanistan.  Obama had mentioned earlier he would be traveling to Iraq and Afghanistan some time this summer. The last time he was there was in January of 2006.

Obama, earlier in his campaign, talked about pulling down the number of troops in Iraq . McCain has agreed with President Bush about the recent surge of soldiers in Iraq and refuses to set any deadlines for withdrawing troops. 

McCain said Saturday that the country was making significant but fragile progress.  McCain expressed confidence about prospects for the two countries, completing an agreement that would keep U.S. soldiers in Iraq after a U.N. mandate expires at year’s end, The Associated Press reported.

Iraqi President Jalal Talabani said that the U.S. military is still needed. “I, of course, am encouraged. We both agree that the progress has been significant, but the progress is also fragile. And there’s a lot of work that needs to be done,” McCain told reporters after a private 45-minute meeting in Washington, D.C., with Talabani.