A lot of people are asking whether Bill Clinton is trying to sabatoge Barack Obama’s reelection campaign. The “sterling” business record talk for Mitt Romney, the dissent on the Bush tax cuts, the bad blood from 2008. My question: Why won’t Slick Willie go away?

Few ask what seems to be the more obvious question: Why is Clinton such a ubiquitous presence in Obama’s reelection campaign in the first place? When Team Obama decided to produce an ad touting the president’s successful hit on Osama bin Laden—spiking the football, some might say—they rolled out Clinton as the narrator. Obama and Clinton held a joint fundraiser in New York City modestly billed as “An Evening with Two Presidents.”

One lucky donor got to win a pair of tickets to the dual fundraiser, with a hotel room and airfare thrown in. Obama campaign manager Jim Messina, who is apparently not the same person who sang with Kenny Loggins, enthused, “Meeting two presidents at the same time? Now, that’s almost ridiculously cool.”

Clinton’s role in Obama’s reelection campaign is unprecedented for a former president. Clinton is helping Obama attract fat cats while Obama helps Clinton stay in the spotlight.