Inspired by Jane Galt, I have to let it out - Hillary Clinton has been a genius on Iraq.
She gave a floor speech in October 2002 that a Republican, or John Kerry, could love, thus following the calculation of the moment. Since then, she has not let herself get sucked into that quagmire, and has instead focussed on preparedness for first responders as her national security calling card. Ths issue hits on funding and training for policeman, firemen, and first aid folks, which is clearly a good choice for a Senator from NY. Homemakers for Homeland Security!
Not being a candidate right now is her smartest decision. If she does let herself be drafted, she will be spared the ghastly infighting and re-positioning that is killing Kerry. Most likely, though, it is on to 2008!
By which time, some of us may have forgotten why we loathe her.
UPDATE: Brad DeLong is a good man who does not seem to have a good chance of being tapped for a Hillary Administration. However, if I cleverly twist his words, I think we can pry from him an endorsement of the Hillary 2004 strategy:
..Why doesn't [the columnist] do something useful with his space--like tell us whether he thinks Hillary Rodham Clinton would make a better president than George W. Bush (almost surely) or would make a good president (almost surely not)?
MORE: The InstaPundit links to Howard Owens (who has more links), Mickey Kaus, and Bill Herbert.
And some won't. But she has clearly learned a trick or two from a certain 1992 presidential candidate whose position on Gulf War I was "war? what war?"
What many of Hillary's reluctant fans on this issue have tended to overlook is a point the NY Sun made several months ago: every single time she has sided with Bush, it has been in favor of expanding the power and prerogatives of the Presidency as against the Congress. Why would that be?
Posted by: Crank | November 18, 2003 at 09:33 PM
By which time, some of us may have forgotten why we loathe her.
I doubt it. But if you forget I'm sure there will be plenty of people to remind.
BTW, I do enjoy this blog which I read right after Tacitus.
Posted by: Timmy the Wonder Dog | November 19, 2003 at 10:14 AM
Well, thanks very much. Our motto is, if we can get just one person to shake their head in disbelief, or, even better, spray coffee through their nose in outrage, our day is a success.
Posted by: TM | November 19, 2003 at 11:08 AM
Crank(aptly named):>"every single time she has sided with Bush, it has been in favor of expanding the power and prerogatives of the Presidency as against the Congress. Why would that be?"
Because when Hillary Clinton becomes president, she will use these Imperial powers to overturn the entrenched Military/Industrial/Corporate/Republican powers who oppress the common man. She will turn governance back to American Citizens, resulting in a new flowering of democracy and freedom!
There. Is that clear?
( Hey, it's a lot more likely to occur this way then some Neo-Con b.s. fantasy about Dubya returning honour and dignity to the office of the presidency. )
Posted by: Joey Giraud | November 25, 2003 at 03:15 PM