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David Gergen was an American political commentator and advisor who served in the administrations of four U.S. presidents, providing insights and guidance on various political matters. Born on May 9, 1942, in Massachusetts, Gergen held significant roles in both Republican and Democratic administrations, showcasing his ability to navigate the political landscape across party lines. He was also a professor of public service at Harvard University, where he influenced a new generation of leaders. In addition to his academic work, Gergen was a senior political analyst for CNN, contributing to public discourse on current events until his passing on July 10, 2025.
It does raise the specter that if he does not go that way, if he does not go for a pro-choice candidate, if he goes for a pro-life candidate, then, in effect, he will have allowed the Rush Limbaughs of the world to veto what he otherwise…
The dynamics of this campaign, as we talked about last night, are definitely changing.
It is working for McCain. And the McCain team has been very open that they went to school on the Hillary Clinton campaign; that they learned from that.
Yes. The race is so close, Anderson, and each -- each one of the choices is going to say an awful lot about the man who makes the choice.
I do not think it reflects well on the Obama camp how this was reached.
The deal itself strikes me as very good for Democrats. It's the right thing to do.
I will bet dollars to doughnuts that both Hillary Clinton and Bill Clinton will come out as unifiers out of this convention.
There are an awful lot of people out there who are Hillary supporters, especially older women, who are not yet reconciled to the Obama candidacy.
I think they're scrambling to make sure that she is honored at the convention.
I continue to believe that Hillary Clinton ought to be on the short list and be very seriously considered for the vice presidential spot.
Anderson, there may be people out there who believe his story. But, so far, I haven't met any.
I think he is controlling the convention, he's being gracious and I'll bet dollars to doughnuts that both Hillary Clinton and Bill Clinton will come out as unifiers out of this convention.
I do think Chelsea is likely to introduce her now and there will be a magic moment and that will be a chance to have quote, "a catharsis" that she thinks is necessary at the convention.
And you started raising this question Friday night. I do think it's one of the central questions here.
I think that John Edwards, having opened this Pandora's box, needs to get everything out of it as quickly as possible.
This is one of the threshold questions that when you run for high public office, you have to face.
This story is going to have lots of legs and keep marching along and chase him along.
He owes it to the party to move swiftly to put out every fact that's there, to get this paternity test done, to get all of this resolved so that this doesn't linger and hang over the campaign.
If he had actually won the Democratic nomination and this story had broken, he would have basically blown the Democrats' chance of getting the White House.
I think he -- you know in damage control -- damage control 101 is figure out where the bottom is, get all the facts together, and get them out.
That's absolutely right, Anderson. And, look, I think we should become less judgmental about other people's marriages and their personal lives, their private lives. I think what is -- what's at issue here is his public life, and the -- and…
Politicians like David Gergen
