THE HILL: As Hillary White House run looms, questions linger about Bill.

Pushing back against suggestions from Karl Rove that Hillary might have suffered brain damage in a 2012 fall, Clinton came across as fiercely defensive and a little too hot. He also took a detour into the past, invoking the Whitewater controversy as an example of what he saw as a similar politically-motivated and factually-hollow crusade by conservatives.

“I’m still waiting for them to admit that there was nothing to Whitewater,” Clinton said. In fact, 15 people were convicted of crimes relating to Whitewater, including close family friends such as Jim and Susan McDougal.

Clinton also bristled when he was pushed on his economic legacy. Once considered his crowning achievement, his record in that area has become more problematic of late, with some on the left arguing that his ardor for deregulation laid the foundation for the financial crisis.

“He looked at various points to be hesitant, bored, a little petulant,” said Southern Methodist University political science professor Cal Jillson. “I don’t think his presentation was as smooth and engaging as it usually is, which is troublesome.”

Like Hillary, he’s not as young as he used to be.