A Cautionary Tale: Maureen Dowd on Hillary Clinton...

[Totally Committed]

The Lipstick President
by Maureen Dowd, NYT

Excerpt:

She has defended her vote to authorize the president to wage war, even though it was apparent then that the administration was snookering the country. And she has argued for more troops in Iraq, knowing it sounds muscular but there's no support for it from the public - or Rummy.

She figures the liberals will stay with her while she scuttles to the center, even if they get angry when she's not out front on stopping the war or preserving abortion rights. No one knows how she'll vote on John Roberts, so this could be her own Sister Souljah moment - will she break with the hard-line left on Judge Roberts?

What Hillary has going for her is exhaustion. Exhaustion kicks in with any party in power for eight years, let alone one that tricked the country into war. And at some point, voters may be too exhausted to resist Hillary's relentless ambition any longer.

But by hanging back and trimming her positions, by keeping her powder dry until a more politically advantageous time, she may miss the moment when Americans are looking for someone to emerge from her cowering party to articulate their anger about Iraq or their fear about a Supreme Court that will scale back women's rights and civil rights here, as Islamic courts do the same in Iraq. Hillary may get caught flat-footed. Or she may be right in betting that there's no need to do anything rash now, like leading.

Entire article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/31/opinion/31dowd.html?incamp=article_popular

TC

[faithnotgreed]

1. thanks tc - maureen hits that one but good

[Totally Committed]

4. You're welcome!

When Dowd is good, she's very good, and when she writes a peice like this -- the's right on the money!

TC

[Eloriel]

2. Yep, just what all the rest of us know as well. Don't you wish those

lustrous lights in Washington could get a fucking clue? Learn to read or something? Acquire just enough humility for a day or so that they could read something like this and get it?

NOT that I want to see Hillary run, I don't. I'm just weary of their blind, deaf and dumb stupidity.

[Totally Committed]

3. Eloriel, it's never gonna happen...

I fear for this Party. I really do.

TC

[Donna Zen]

5. What I'm wishing for:

I'm wishing that the "lustrous lights" having failed the "lead or get out of the way" test, would just go away. They are sucking up scarce seats in blue states, and of course friendly money, that should go to those who are actually committed to the "common good."

Every one of these articles begs those who have failed to stand up, and ignores those who have never sat down.

[Totally Committed]

6. Donna, I swear, if the 2008 election cycle goes like the last,

I am off and out of politics for good. We cannot keep encouraging this sort of bad judgement!

2006 should be about getting a new crop elected, too!

TC

[welshTerrier2]

9. i doubt he would do it but it would turn American politics on its head

[Totally Committed]

7. Shameless kick!

:kick:

TC

[KoKo]

8. Without "new lights" we are stuck with this same old/same old/tired DLC

that's out of ideas but refuses to allow any new light into the room for fear of losing "face/place."

So far we don't have a new face on the Left/progressive side who has emerged. Dean is now head of DNC so we have to count him out unless there's a crisis and he responds being four years older and wiser, and his wife feels more comfortable with DC and a White House role.

I have hopes someone we don't yet see will come out. Pop Out in a BLACE like John Kennedy did, and we on the "progressive side" will find someone we can be comfortable with and trust.

Don't seem 'em yet...and if they don't emerge...then it's going to be hard for me to get energized to work out on the streets agains. :shrug: I know that Hillary will have many troops who WILL work for her, though.

My gut tells me that lazy Dems are more than happy for a Hillary/Bill Redux with places traded. Because in another four years folks will so sick of what's happened they will want "security over change and reform and impeachment and more hearings about what the Bush Crime Family and their employees have been doing for decades."

Dowd has it correctly with "fatigue." We are all very tired. Going back to Bill would seem just a comfortable trade and at some point maybe even a vidication that WE were Correct and THEY were wrong.

It makes me tired to think about it...I hope someone else emerges.

[AX10]

10. Clark/Dean 2008'!

[arewenotdemo]

11. that's the ticket!