According to this nypost.com article, Obama was afraid Bill Clinton would upstage him at the Democratic convention in 2012, so Clinton wasn't supposed to be part of the program. However, Obama's popularity waned a bit during the summer, and he decided he needed Clinton after all.
A couple of short paragraphs from the article:
A deal was struck: Clinton would give the key nominating speech at the convention, and a full-throated endorsement of Obama. In exchange, Obama would endorse Hillary Clinton as his successor. ...
But after his re-election, Obama began to have second thoughts. He would prefer to stay neutral in the next election, as is traditional of outgoing presidents.
Aw, the old double cross. Who would have thought Obama would break a promise? Unfortunately, pronouncements from our president's lips have short shelf lives. By the way, if you like the medical insurance policy you have now, you can keep it.
It all sounds like something out of Political Animals. The writers are probably watching all this and wearing their pencils down to nubs taking notes.
Post script:
Megyn Kelly on Fox News gets commentary from some pundits -- watch video -- who suggest that there might have been an unspoken understanding without an explicit deal.
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