Now that South Carolina Demo-crats have chosen Sen. Barack Obama in their primary balloting, there is a brief lull in the campaign action before candidates launch their efforts for Super-Duper Tuesday on Feb. 5, when 22 states hold primaries or caucuses.As those efforts gear up, many observers will be waiting to see how, or if, the "Billary" team — Sen. Hillary Clinton and former President Bill Clinton — adjusts its campaign style.

Leading up to the South Carolina primary, Bill Clinton attracted lots of attention — and much of it negative — for his attacks on Obama, including what many people felt were factually false claims.

To a certain degree, "the good cop, bad cop" technique employed by the Clintons worked. After multiple attacks by the former president, Obama felt forced to respond, and in the eyes of some, by doing so he was pulled into the mud with the rest of the traditional politicians. But even his responses to the Clinton attacks seemed somehow different, more dignified.

And the Clinton attacks against Obama only reinforced his message that most Americans are longing to leave the nastiness, triangulation and finger-wagging lectures of the Clinton era behind.

The Clinton negativity might have raised some doubts about Obama in the minds of a few voters. But for many Democrats, including some prominent former officials in the Clinton administration, it is not helping — either Hillary's campaign or the Democratic Party.

Former Democratic Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle says Clinton has chosen "to reduce himself, to minimize his presidency, and Ithink to lower himself in ways that I would not have expected."

On the distortions of Obama's record, Robert Reich, former labor secretary under Clinton, said, "It's demeaning for a former president to say things that are patently untrue."

New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd commented on Clinton's campaign work saying, "Bill's transition from elder statesman, leader of his party and bipartisan ambassador to ward heeler and hatchet man has been seamless — and seamy."

Some believe that the former president misses the attention and power of the White House so much that he cannot help himself. He's a fighter, a brilliant tactician and loves the rough-and-tumble of politics. But his current role in the campaign has some worried about his possible role in the White House.

Many voters find it disturbing to see a former president launching attacks on his wife's behalf. This violates the unwritten rule that former presidents avoid partisan politics. But as the spouse of the candidate, Bill Clinton is breaking the mold in several ways.

Reportedly related to the former president's tough tactics are endorsements that emerged this week.

Although Hillary Clinton has landed endorsements from several noteworthy politicians, including Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell, the latest endorsements for Obama are what people are talking about.

This week's endorsement by Caroline Kennedy, the daughter of the late President John F. Kennedy, certainly helped Obama. But it was the rousing endorsement speech by Sen. Edward Kennedy, President Kennedy's brother, that could really make a difference. Sen. Kennedy's speech was a powerful endorsement for Obama, and also was a no-nonsense condemnation of some of the tactics of the Clinton team.

Kennedy denounced the divisive strategy of the Clintons and said the Obama candidacy offered a choice "between fear and hope, the past and the future, meanness and possibility." He said the Obama candidacy is offering Americans the chance to "turn the page on the old politics of misrepresentation and distortion."

There is a long way to go before any candidate secures the nomination, and the Clintons have vast contacts and influence within the party machinery. But Obama's inspiration is awakening hopes of real change in American politics. The appeal of his message of change is only reinforced by Bill Clinton's recent behavior. The low blows and distortions are a reminder of the calculated nastiness of past political battles, and some longtime Clinton supporters fear he is tarnishing his legacy, and reminding voters of the worst parts of his presidency.

Time will tell whether the Clintons change their tactics or tone, but they have to be hearing the voices of people who are turned off by the negativity. Still, if down-anddirty can win the nomination, they might see it as a calculated risk worth taking. But with the warnings out there already, the risk seems great.