Howard Wolfson, Mrs. Clinton’s communications director, organized a conference call to outline his complaints with reporters. When it began, he heard an unexpected voice on the line — Mr. Bauer.
Mr. Bauer said he was “glad” to talk with his rival. “We haven’t seen each other since Iowa, which is the occasion of the last series of complaints the Clinton campaign has made against the caucus process.”
What unfolded was, for the reporters listening in, a riveting and unexpected hand-to-hand skirmish between the two campaigns, and a novel way for the Obama team to grab the attention of the captive audience. After a lengthy back-and-forth, Mr. Bauer hung up and a confused reporter asked Mr. Wolfson who it was that he had been debating.“That was Bob Bauer — B-a-u-e-r,” Mr. Wolfson said. “Someone we all know very well, mounting a vigorous defense of the indefensible.”
