DIVIDE THE HOUSE:

As Clinton Shifts Themes, Debate Arises on Her Motives (RAYMOND HERNANDEZ, 2/01/05, NY Times)

In a recent series of public appearances, Mrs. Clinton has generated considerable attention - and, in some cases, scorn - by imbuing her remarks with mentions of God, faith, prayer and the need to be more tolerant of people who are opposed to abortion and gay marriage because of their beliefs.

By design or not, Mrs. Clinton has displayed remarkable timing. Her comments come against the backdrop of the Democratic Party's efforts to shed its secular image after suffering major electoral defeats in November at the hands of Republicans, who emphasized Christian values in their campaigns.

The recent pronouncements of Mrs. Clinton, who is widely considered a possible candidate for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination, are a matter of considerable debate.

Are they a calculated effort to court religious traditionalists as she positions herself to run for the presidency, as her critics maintain?

Or do they reflect the true convictions of a woman who has sought to give a fuller picture of herself since leaving the White House and who, associates say, has been deeply and openly religious her entire life?

Putting those questions aside, the comments are also striking because they come from a highly reserved, and even guarded, woman who in the past has invoked a zone of privacy in declining to talk about intimate matters.

This will be cleared up easily enough, because it's a Congress where she'll get to cast abortion votes and the like.

Posted by Orrin Judd at February 1, 2005 7:49 AM