Bill Clinton allegedly told Ted Kennedy: Obama would be getting us coffee

New York, Jan 11 (ANI): Bill Clinton reportedly belittled Barack Obama during the Democratic run up to the presidency, resulting in Ted Kennedy endorsing the first Black US President, according to a book.

Clinton helped sink his wife's chances for an endorsement from Ted Kennedy by belittling Obama as nothing but a race-based candidate.

"A few years ago, this guy would have been getting us coffee," the former president told the liberal lion from Massachusetts, according to the gossipy new campaign book, "Game Change."

Clinton, whose stock with black voters was so high he used to be referred to as "America's First Black President", severely damaged his reputation in his overheated drive to help elect his wife.

The book says Kennedy was deeply offended and recounted the conversation to friends with fury, the Daily News reports.

After Kennedy sided with Obama, Clinton reportedly griped, "the only reason you are endorsing him is because he's Black. Let's just be clear."

The revelations in "Game Change" are guaranteed to reopen the 2008 Clinton racial wounds that had been scabbing over amid his post-election public silence and his wife's high marks as Secretary of State.

The January 2008 endorsement of Obama by Kennedy and his niece, Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg was a pivotal campaign moment that allowed the Democratic establishment to abandon the Clintons.

Bill Clinton wasn't the only one to bungle handling the Kennedys - the book says Hillary Clinton managed to alienate Caroline by fobbing off a key request on staff instead of calling personally. (ANI)