Vote For The Wicked Witch!

The WaPo tells us that the Hillary brain trust has decided to go in a new direction in Iowa by attacking Obama:

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa, Dec. 2 -- With a new poll showing her losing ground in the Iowa caucus race, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) mounted a new, more aggressive attack against Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) on Sunday, raising direct questions about his character, challenging his integrity and forecasting a sharp debate over those subjects in the days ahead.

Clinton has hammered Obama recently over his health-care proposal, arguing that he is misleading voters because it omits millions of people and would not lower costs. But Sunday, in a dramatic shift, she made it clear that her goal is to challenge Obama not just on policy but also on one of his strongest selling points: his reputation for honesty.

"There's a big difference between our courage and our convictions, what we believe and what we're willing to fight for," Clinton told reporters here. She said voters in Iowa will have a choice "between someone who talks the talk, and somebody who's walked the walk."

This ought to be a winner - I can picture Hillary, recast as Shrillary, up on the stump screaming "Obama's as crooked and evasive as I am!  And no one can do a better job preserving the attack-dog politics of the Bush-Clinton years than me!"

Well.  Ms. Clinton is a shrewd operator with a seasoned staff, so there is at least a possibility they know what they are doing.  But this makes quite a change from the woman who was whining about mud-slinging after the Las Vegas debate just a few weeks ago.

The NY Times blog covered the attacks.  The opening salvo featured dueling surrogates on a Sunday talk show:

Mrs. Clinton’s spokesman, Howard Wolfson, appeared on CBS’s “Face the Nation” with Mr. Obama’s strategist, David Axelrod, and engaged in some warmed-over jousting about the candidates’ health insurance plans (they have been skirmishing for two weeks now about whether the respective plans would cover everyone). Then Mr. Wolfson threw a days-old story in Mr. Axelrod’s face: That the Obama campaign used an Obama political action committee to spread around money in states that hold the first primaries and caucuses.

Mr. Wolfson accused the Obama campaign, with the PAC, of “taking in money from lobbyists despite the fact he said he doesn’t take money from lobbyists, taking in money from lobbyists and giving money out to candidates in New Hampshire and Iowa to support his presidential campaign.”

“I would call on David – David, will you shut down Senator Obama’s slush fund?” Mr. Wolfson said.

Mr. Axelrod said that he did not think there was any money left in the PAC, but did not address head-on whether there was anything wrong with the way the PAC money was used.

Then Shrillary joined in her bad self:

At a news conference here just now, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton expanded her attacks on Senator Barack Obama by suggesting that he has a character issue because of his assertions that his health insurance plan covers all Americans (which she disputes) and because his old political action committee spread around money in early presidential nominating states.

Asked if Mr. Obama had a character problem, Mrs. Clinton first said it was up for voters to determine, but then added:

“It’s beginning to look a lot like that – it really is, where we can’t get a straight answer on health care, where somebody runs on ethics and not taking money from certain people is found to have at least skirted if not violated F.E.C. rules and to use lobbyists and Pac money to do so. You’re going to have ask the Obama campaign, but I have said for months that I would much rather be attacking Republicans and attacking problems of our country because ultimately that’s what I want to do as president.

“But I have been for months on the receiving end of rather consistent attacks – well now the fun part starts,” Mrs. Clinton said, punctuating the word “fun.” “We’re into the last month, and we’re going to start drawing the contrasts, because I want every Iowans to have accurate information when they make their decisions.”

Oh, boy - does anyone think Hillary can win a campaign turning on character?  Or can she win if she persuades voters that her opponents are as dreadful as she is?  One might expect the backlash to benefit either Obama or some other candidate; in 2004 Kerry got a boost when Dean attacked Gephardt.  And in the arcana of the Iowa caucuses, when the backers of the non-viable candidates have to re-apportion themselves (room by room), will the new Shrillary pick up support from the others?

Of course, we are a month away in Iowa, so there is plenty of time for yet another version of Hillary to emerge.  Or two.

MORE:  The Obama response blog, which looks like "All victim, all the time".  Maybe he ought to get the mush out of his mouth on health care mandates, or even try for a mulligan on his own ghastly answer to the "driver's licenses for illegals" question.

But what am I saying?  Whining about unfair attacks ought to be a winner in Iowa, even if it didn't exactly carry Kerry through November in 2004.

PILING ON:  The Captain is having fun:

Hillary Will Assail Obama's Character, Laughter Abounds

In what would qualify as satire, the Washington Post reports that Hillary Clinton's new strategy in Iowa will focus on Obama's character rather than his policy positions.... However, given the track record of the Clintons, character hardly appears to be a winning forum for the national frontrunner...

Obama may have a skeleton or two in the closet with his Chicago connections to Tony Rezko, but the Clintons have a figurative graveyard in theirs.

Well, if Obama goes there Hillary will be a victim and Obama will be recycling evil Republican talking points generated by Evil Ken Starr - that would work for Hillary.

Better for Obama to stay positive and let Hillary remind us why she can't possibly deliver us from the ongoing hyper-partisan quagmire.

Comments

[Les Nessman]

One of these days we're going to see Hillary jump out in front of the cameras, holding a pistol to her own head shouting, " Don't shoot, or the witch gets it!"

[kim]

Wait a minute, politicians aren't supposed to spread money around where it is most useful? I'm beginning to understand.
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[anduril]

Priceless Steyn comment at The Corner. Now wouldn't this be a great hypothetical to pose to the various candidates?

What if we've already had the reformation of Islam and jihadism is it? It wasn't just Seventies Bryn Mawr Muslims who were "moderates". So were, comparatively, Muslims all over the world. The Sudan's always been a nutty joint but you'd have had a harder time convincing anyone to jail an English schoolmarm over a teddy bear 50 years ago: The Prophet's authoritative cuddly-toy suras date back all of 20 minutes. In 1950, a young Pakistani emigrating to Scotland or Canada would have received an education different only in degree, not (as now) wholly foreign in kind and ever more resistant even to the possibility of assimilation. One can detect similar trends in Indonesia, Singapore, the Central Asian stans, the Balkans - and among the de-assimilationist third generation Muslims in western Europe.

The Islamic "reformation" is, in a sense, the opposite of Christianity's. The Saudis have used their vast oil enrichment to promote themselves as a kind of Holy See for Muslims, and the Wahhabization of previously low-key syncretic localized Islams in almost every corner of the planet is testament to their success. I look at the gazillions of dollars tossed into the great sucking maw of US "intelligence" agencies and I wonder why somewhere in the budget we couldn't put something aside to promote a bit of covert ideological rollback in Chechnya or Bosnia or Pakistan. But we're not that savvy, and God knows what unintended consequences would blow up in our faces.

And at one level the Islamist "reformation" makes perfect sense. After all, they look at Christianity's reformation and see that everywhere but the United States it led to the ebbing of faith and its banishment to the fringes of life. The jihadist reformation is, as they see it, a rational response to the Christian one.

[PaulL]

"Well, now the fun part starts" will haunt Mrs. Clinton the rest of the campaign.

[clarice]

anduril, Spengler has an interesting and different take on that--check out Lucianne's postings today.

does anyone think Hillary can win a campaign turning on character?

I do I do I do !!!!(hush up ,TM).Go for it Hill!
Then swing back to hurt Mommy and then victim and then strong independent woman (with Bill running interference) then rinse and repeat.

[kim]

Except, anduril, the enlightement ushered in an information age, which the Wahabbi reformation of Islam seeks to suppress. It can only do so through the malign influence of unearned petroshekels. There is a thermodynamics to information, and knowledge, the barrier can only hold up by input of massive energy, in this case, oil money. My father used to say that when the oilfields of Araby were exhausted, the Sheiks would own the London Stock Exchange. Briefly, the Osage populated the stage, too.
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[PeterUK]

America,land of opportunity,where even hippies can grow up to be Commander in Chief and have the Bomb.

[kim]

The most telling act of Ms was exactly 100K on the nose, and of Mr was claiming to have not inhaled.
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[Other Tom]

Nowadays these people really make me weary--just plain weary. Am I just too old now? I really do detest these folks.

[kim]

It'll get worse, then you'll get pissed, then you won't feel old.
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[MayBee]

Vote For The Wicked Witch

If you set it to music, you could compete with that other http://books.google.com/books?id=kockiFW1Q0UC&dq=wicked+maguire&pg=PP1&ots=DYkT5KSRIk&sig=REgTWjfMePkC57IRgN2nYVZNXnU&prev=http://www.google.com/search%3Fq%3DWicked%2BMaguire%26ie%3Dutf-8%26oe%3Dutf-8%26aq%3Dt%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26client%3Dfirefox-a&sa=X&oi=print&ct=title&cad=one-book-with-thumbnail>Maguire guy.

[Ann]

Other Tom,

Something else to detest:

HARRY REID

[PeterUK]

You're never too old too vote.

[edward cropper]

Any time I see a shift in Clinton tactics on the campaign trail I always give them the benefit of the doubt as to whether it is a right decision. Why? Because when you look at their track record and see the numerous times they have been seconded guessed by the press, only to come out on top it certainly give you pause.
When you are in league with the devil you certainly have an advantage in dealing with those with lesser connections.

[hit and run]

I swear on a case of Shiner Bock that I wrote this this morning BEFORE reading about Hillary's use of Obama's kindergarten essay...

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From Real Clear Politics’ The Daily 2008, we read:

"Losing Ground In Iowa, Clinton Assails Obama" (Anne Kornblut, Washington Post) Forget delicacy, Hillary and her campaign are quite open about their strategy to attack Obama on his "reputation for honesty."

If there is one candidate who can make this attack completely immune from any counter-attacks, it certainly would be Hillary Rodham Clinton. I only say this because my six year old kindergartener told me this morning that today is "opposite day".

From the Washington Post article:

Sunday, however, marked the first time that Clinton raised the character question so bluntly on the campaign trail. In a question-and-answer session with reporters after her first stop, she said that "you can't get a straight answer" from Obama on health care.

This on the heels of the driver's licenses for illegals dustup makes for great theater. I should have known that my six year old had a better finger on the pulse of this campaign than I did.

But all joking aside, it must be said that here is a woman who should be President of the United States.

Because it is opposite day, after all.

[MayBee]

Any time I see a shift in Clinton tactics on the campaign trail I always give them the benefit of the doubt as to whether it is a right decision.

Edward Cropper- you would have a point here, except every new tactic means they've ditched the old one.
The cackle left us after 1 week
The "The boys are beating up on me" lasted around a week
The driver's license flip flop lasted about a week.
Bill gave the anti-Iraq war from the beginning a spin around the block last week.
And now...we're onto the elementary school essays.

One of these is gonna work for sure!