March 20, 2005
MUTUALLY BENEFICIAL:
Sen. Clinton goes right (JERRY ZREMSKI, 3/20/2005, Buffalo News)
The senator says the insurgency in Iraq is failing and that American troops should stay there and finish their job.The senator calls abortion "a sad, even tragic choice to many, many women."
The senator teams with two of Congress' most conservative lawmakers to push a bill that would study the effect of media on children.
And the senator says, proudly, "I've always been a praying person."
The senator's name?
Hillary Rodham Clinton.
Long perceived as the leading lady of the left, New York's junior senator finds herself in the same place her husband found himself in 1992.
Like former President Bill Clinton before her, she's paving a "third way" between liberalism and conservatism: tough on defense and strong on pro-family rhetoric, but traditionally Democratic on social and economic justice issues.
Republicans are aghast, saying it's a reinvention aimed at making Clinton a palatable 2008 presidential candidate in a culturally conservative country.
People keep saying that but, in fact, the GOP appears perfectly happy to exploit her drift to the Right for its own purposes. Posted by Orrin Judd at March 20, 2005 10:27 AM
If Bush and the Senate GOP play it right, they can make Hillary into the political version of Stretch Armstrong, pulling her further and further towards the right while seeing how long the Democrats at the other end will hang on without speaking up in protest about her shifting public statements. But to do that, they will have to force some wedge issue votes, where she either improves her viability for the 2008 general election or improves her chances of steamrollering to the 2008 Democratic nomination.
Posted by: John at March 20, 2005 11:14 AMBarring a viable third party candidate, Hillary is toast. Her record goes back a long way. She can 'triangualte' until blue in the face but her record speaks for itself. Is she a power hungry, leftist demagogue or just a pissed off broad? A little of both? Is there a more dangerous combination?
Posted by: Tom C., Stamford, Ct. at March 20, 2005 11:38 AMWomen who would happily use Lorena Bobbitt's Ginsu knife on the nearest man they could find are a large enough constituency not to be ignored. The Hildebeest has them in the bag. If she can add enough moderates and conservatives, dumb enough to be taken in by this latest gambit, to the gay and leftie support that she already has, she could be tough to beat.
Posted by: bart at March 20, 2005 11:51 AMoj, I would not get carried away, nor confer Hillary any more credit than she deserves. (The Clintons are not known for political humility!) Let's keep a tally of (a) how many times Hillary votes with Bush and the GOP, (b) let alone votes with Bush and the GOP when it counts, (c) let even more alone when she uses her leadership to influence moderate Dems to vote with Bush and the GOP. I can't count any instances on either (b) and (c). I would need to see a lot of (a)'s plus some backlash from MoveOn, NARL, UTLA, ACLU, before I deem her anything but a Trojan Horse.
Posted by: Moe from NC at March 20, 2005 12:11 PMHillary is why a Condi presidential bid would fail unless Condi really moves hard right. If the the Republicans put up a moderate, Hillary will eat her/him alive. Hillary just needs a Sister Souljah moment, which is bound to happen even if she has to orchestrate it herself.
Posted by: Buttercup at March 20, 2005 12:16 PMI can feel myself morphing into a Hillary voter. Would be my first vote for a Democrat presidential candidate in 25 years. My wife is aghast.
Posted by: ghostcat at March 20, 2005 2:05 PMAll it takes to destroy her is a well timed indictment.
Posted by: AML at March 20, 2005 2:09 PMI wonder what Rove is thinking right about now.
Posted by: Genecis at March 20, 2005 9:09 PMI will crawl across broken glass to vote against that viper.
Posted by: Sandy P at March 20, 2005 9:18 PMQuick question: for whom would you rather vote and whom would you rather have as president:
Hillary Clinton
Gerald Ford
John McCain
Lamar!
Heddy
Posted by: oj at March 21, 2005 12:46 AMThat's Hedly....
Posted by: jim hamlen at March 21, 2005 9:20 AMWilliam J. LePetomaine for President!
Posted by: ratbert at March 21, 2005 3:46 PM