Thursday, May 25, 2006
On the Road to 2008 - The Hillary and Bill Show
"The Elephant in the Room"
It came as no suprise that Hillary Clinton gave an almost hour-long speech about energy policy at the National Press Club on May 25th and did so with impressive command of the subject. David Broder's column in The Washington Post covered her speech and more. He brought up the the state of relationship that exists between Bill and Hillary Clinton. "The two sides of Hillary Rodham Clinton -- the opposites that make her potential presidential candidacy such a gamble -- came into sharp focus Tuesday morning at the National Press Club. For the better part of an hour, the senator from New York held forth in a disquisition on energy policy that was as overwhelming in its detail as it was ambitious in its reach. " Broder concluded his column with ".........the elephant in the room went unmentioned."
- But the buzz in the room was not about her speech -- or her striking appearance in a lemon-yellow pantsuit -- but about the lengthy analysis of the state of her marriage to Bill Clinton that was on the front page of that morning's New York Times.
- The article, by Patrick Healy, was anything but unsympathetic. It touched only lightly on the former president's friendship with Canadian politician Belinda Stronach. It documented that despite their busy separate schedules, the Clintons had managed to spend two-thirds of their weekends together during the past 18 months.
As contenders for the presidential race in 2008 are making themselves known, Hillary Clinton is at the head of the pack among the Democrats. Politics is all about cutting deals, compromising. The question is how far right Mrs Clinton would go to make her candidacy viable. There are issues other than energy policy that matter to rank and file Democrats. The current trend is ominous. There is a rush among Democratic leadership to adopt distatsteful Republicans policies to court voters.
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It's certainly unfortunate that potential candidates have to reach out and appear more to the right than their base. Howevever, it is inevitable and wise under the circumstances and certainly goes a long way towards declawing the right and preventing the type of attach which might render any Presidential campaign completely ineffective. Swift boat anyone? Pragmatism may not be pretty but it is necessary.
I have nothing against a woman president. It is not only time for a woman to occupy the White House, it would probably do the nation good. But man or woman, I have fear about how far the candidate would bend to win. Yes, one has to be pragmatic but where does pragmatism end and cynical catering to interest groups begin. Senator McCain is another one with the "fire in the belly", ready to dance to any music to win the Republican nomination for 2008.
When such people win they just cannot walk away from supporters who made it possible. Remember the title of the book by Molly Ivins--- "You've got to dance with them what brung you".
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When such people win they just cannot walk away from supporters who made it possible. Remember the title of the book by Molly Ivins--- "You've got to dance with them what brung you".
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