More news from Boston: How slippery do you have to be to have Bill Clinton questioning your veracity?

That's the question supporters of Bob Reich have to be asking, after Clinton has disclaimed reports that he encouraged Reich to enter the Massachusetts governor's race:

"Insofar as the article stated that I encouraged Bob Reich to run or supported his candidacy, it is not correct," said Clinton in a prepared statement...

This comes from a guy who knows Reich well --- they met on the ship that was taking them both to Oxford for their stints as Rhodes scholars. Reich served in Clinton's cabinet for some years as secretary of labor, exiting with a memoir that was full of wish fulfilment, describing triumphs for Reich in public forums, and boorish behavior on the part of his opponents, both of which were mysteriously absent from tapes and transcripts of the events. Even a revised version of the memoir wasn't entirely straight with the facts.

In terms of his professed ideology, Reich is probably the closest guy to me in the race. If you can believe what he says about it. But a man who can't face up to the reality of a speech before the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and who deals with his enemies by making up victories which demonstrably never happened, is not ready for the Massachusetts State House. If you ever see a picture of House Speaker Finneran, take a look at his teeth. It's not his physical stature that would make Reich a bite-sized morsel in the Beacon Hill shark tank.