CHILL HIL PILL:

Hil's keys to the Oval Office (FRANK LUNTZ, 7/17/06, NY Daily News)

Here's how Hillary can continue to lead the pack, and the four essential steps she needs to take to stay on top.

First, she must be herself. Her recent tack to the right - from equivocating on the Iraq war, to supporting a ban on flag burning - is fooling no one and is seriously agitating her liberal base. The reason Hillary became so popular in the first place was her unflinching willingness to tell it like it is. She must say what she means, and mean what she says.

Similarly, recent efforts by Clinton to inject religious references into her speeches to prove she's a person of faith is like fingernails on a chalkboard to Democrat primary voters. Clinton must win the primary first - then worry about the general election. If Democrats really cared about religion, they'd be Republicans.

Second, Clinton must give us answers, not just criticism. She is already applauded by most voters for her focus and determination and does a good job explaining the specifics (and even the minutiae) of the issues she cares about. None of that should change.

But she spends so much time criticizing the Republicans that voters aren't hearing enough of what she would do instead. [...]

Third, Clinton, who can be charming and funny in private, should be more candid and unpredictable. [...]

Fourth, Clinton needs to remember to speak from her heart, not her head. Right now, she sometimes sounds like Al Gore ... without the pizzazz. Successful Republicans think. Successful Democrats - like Bill Clinton - feel. Hillary should lower her decibel level, making voters strain to hear her. The softer she is, the more emotional she will sound.

Hardly surprising that Mr. Luntz would offer a Democrat lethal advice. There's little reason to believe that the American people would much like the real Ms Clinton and they've proven repeatedly that they hate her personal ideas about how to govern the country. More than anything she needs to not be herself and to be her husband, at least on the issues.

Posted by Orrin Judd at July 17, 2006 8:14 AM