One thing that gets missed in all the back and forth about Hillary's campaign debt - and Obama's ability to outspend her - is the value of the time Bill Clinton is contributing to the Hillary campaign.<p>
Take Pennsylvania, for instance.  The Hillary camp view of the outcome is that Obama outspent her 2-to-1 in the state, and yet still lost by 10 points.
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Here are the facts:<br>
<li>Obama spent more than <a href="http://www.wtop.com/?nid=213&sid=1392085">$11 million on ads in PA compared to Clinton's $5 million</a> - slightly more than a $6 million, or 2-to-1 advantage
<li>Bill Clinton made <a href="http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08108/874194-457.stm">more than 34 campaign appearances in Pennsylvania</a> on Hillary's behalf between early March and mid-April, <a href="http://leftword.blogdig.net/archives/articles/April2008/26/Bill_Clinton_Increasing_His_Campaign_Role.html">focusing on "Bubba Voters" in rural counties, to great effect</a>.
<li>Bill Clinton gets about <a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-clinton-financesmar04,0,1466246,full.story">$150,000 on average for his speaking engagements</a>
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Let's assume - conservatively - that between April 17 and April 22 (election day), Bill did another 16 appearances (conservative, given that he was telling staffers to give him <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120917154479246575.html?mod=home_we_banner_left">6 or 8 appearances a day</a> during the last week before the PA primary).  That would be a total of 50 Bill Clinton talks between early March and the April 22 primary, which at $150,000 a pop adds up to $7.5 million.<p>
Add to that the under-the-table financial benefit of having PA Governor Ed Rendell's machine working for Hillary, and Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter's machine doing the same, and you begin to get a sense of the degree to which Hillary outspent Obama in the state.<p>
And what did all this get her?  Having effectively outspent Obama by something more than $2,000,000, she saw a 25-point lead shrink to below 10 points, and netted a measly 10 delegates from the process.<p>
Bill Clinton is of course moving on to make similar appearances in Indiana, North Carolina, and beyond.<p>
And the questions nobody seems to be asking?
<li> Why do those millions of dollars worth of contributed time from a former president not get counted in campaign spending totals?
<li> What kind of performance would Hillary be making in these primaries if Bill WEREN'T contributing that time, and what does that say about her own strength as a candidate?
<li> Is she counting on that same crutch to help her out when she's too tired to think straight as the sniper fire comes in at 3AM?  
<li> Do the American people really want a president that needs that kind of crutch?