02/25/2008 (1:22 pm)
Goodnight, and Good Luck, Madame Clinton
I’ll go out on a limb and say this is probably Hillary Clinton’s swan song.
Over the weekend, photos started popping up showing Barack Obama in the ceremonial dress of a Somali elder, from a goodwill tour of Africa in 2006. Today, Matt Drudge reports that the photo was circulated by the Clinton campaign. Obama’s campaign manager sloughed it off as “hateful, offensive fear-mongering,” to which the Clinton campaign replied that the Obama campaign should be ashamed to suggest that their circulating the photo was divisive.
I’m simply incredulous at that reply. They can’t possibly expect us to take that seriously. Several bloggers agree; check out Marc Ambinder at The Atlantic, not a man I would ordinarily recommend as an accurate source, but he’s just as astonished by the shabby non-denial denial as I am. Blue Crab Boulevard and Hot Air express similar shock.
Let’s be serious. Nobody familiar with Clinton’s campaign is surprised that they’re circulating dirt; they’ve been doing it since day one, not to mention 8 years of slime, as if from a fire hose, from the Clinton White House. But this? She knows her campaign is being watched, she knows she’s being called on mud-slinging, and she does this anyway, in plain view? And then tries to pretend it’s innocent? There’s something truly sad about a charlatan who keeps trying to run the game even after being exposed. It reminds me of Glenn Close’s Marquise de Merteuil in Dangerous Liaisons, being hooted out of the public theater by her peers after her conniving is exposed.
There’s even some self-pity from the Clinton camp. “Wouldn’t we be seeing this on the cover of every magazine if it were HRC?” questioned one campaign staffer, in an email obtained by the DRUDGE REPORT. And Drudge dutifully produces photographs of Hillary in a head scarf, and of George W. Bush in a Chinese caftan; wearing local ceremonial garb is common gruel for politicians. However, it’s not usually circulated by the opposing campaign, with the hope that ignorant voters will mistake the candidate for the enemy, and turn away in fear. Gimme a break.
It’s obvious how desperate the Clinton campaign has become. It’s also obvious how reflexive their attacks have become. I think it’s ceased to be a calculated move and become reflex, the addict reaching for the needle because there’s simply no program for doing anything else. Pathetic.
I’ve said before that I’d rather the Republicans run against Clinton, because she’d be easier to beat. I guess this proves I was right, but alas, she was so easy to beat that even an empty resume like Barack Obama could do it. I’m not sorry to say goodbye to the Clintons as they exit the national stage, though. Not a moment too soon, sez I.
Goodnight, and Good Luck, Madame Clinton. It certainly has been entertaining.
Update: Blue Crab Boulevard this morning reports a truly bizarre breakfast meeting between the Clinton campaign and the press corps, quoting Dana Milbank from the Washington Post. They’re noting the same pathos I am, and appropriately (if unkindly) entitled their post “A Fat Lady Singing.”
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4 Comments »
Comment by RM
You’re probably right on your assessment of the campaign, but knowing the Clintons I’m reluctant to call them dead until there is an official tag on their toes.
In any case, I’m torn because on one hand I believe McCain might actually have had a shot, however slim, against Hilary, and that Barack will be a far stronger candidate to run against. However, there is another part of me that is glad to just say “Sayonara” to the Clinton era and perhaps, to some of the bitter tone of the politics of that era. Although the first time a conservative utters a discouraging word about St. Obama or his policies, I’m sure it will be branded as “racist”, “angry”, “divisive”, “politics of personal destruction”, whatever.
Comment by Phil
The campaign against Obama is a long shot, but it’s not lost. Anything can happen. Obama can possibly be painted as a divisive liberal, and McCain will certainly come out looking better if he can get Obama to commit to specific programs along the campaign trail.
In the meantime, have you found a decent House candidate to get behind? I haven’t heard of any Republicans who have a chance at the House here on Cape Cod, but there are a couple of Republicans who might have a chance at taking down John Kerry in the Senate. Wouldn’t that be a coup?
Comment by RM
We have a tough row to hoe here in Delaware. Joe Biden is entrenched for as long as he wants to stay here. He’s too liberal for some, but he’s very capable at taking care of Delaware, is a homespun local guy who truly loves the State, and has a sort of crusty, gritty “maverick” kind of appeal here that counters that. His son, Beau, was recently elected AG of the state, and is just getting rolling. Beau is articulate, reasonable (as far as anyone knows at this point) and young. He’s handling the job well thus far and taking care of business in an anon-partisan way. He recently came to my son’s school and made a presentation about online predators. He’s in the Guard and may be called over to Iraq soon. His response was that he’s ready to go and confident his office will handle any problems in his absence. What’s not to like about him? If he is what he seems to be on the surface and with his pedigree, he may be going high places in the Democratic party.
The other two are a VERY moderate R and a moderate D. Both have been Governor of the State prior to serving in congress. They’re both nice guys who are well respected and liked throughout the State. Neither are going anywhere fast unless they get tired of politics.
The R’s are in disarray since the candidate for Governor who was being groomed as the new heir apparent to the top role in the Repub party bowed out a couple of weeks ago, deciding he didn’t need the nonsense.
No help here I’m afraid. Good luck with Kerry, that would be huge.
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