Wanting it Both Ways

Three thoughts on Hillary, one substantially after the fact, and two that have a better shelf lives, like Velveeta. They are all connected by a theme: having it both ways. (Though on second thought, it's possible that processed food is a better analogue.)

1. The laugh (cackle, guffaw) provoked, as all things associated with Hillary, intense speculation. Was it fake, was it weird, or (on the right) was it evil? Eventually the question had to be asked: was all this analysis sexist? Hillary's two X chromosomes are going to play a big role in this election no matter what we do, but this is one dog that just won't hunt: speculation about a front-runner for the presidency is not fueled by gender. No one asked if it was gender that made Al Gore get an image consultant or John Edwards get a $400 haircut. You run for president, a slack-jawed press corps is going to comb through your appearance. That's the deal, and Hillary is well aware of it.

2. A bigger issue is one that Hillary must exploit to win the White House--she must simultaneously take credit for her "experience" as first lady while distancing herself from Bill's negatives. Without the experience of the White House, she's an undistinguished second-term junior Senator, with less government experience than Barack Obama. But if we credit her with being an actual participant in the Clinton White House, she has to own up to things like NAFTA and Marc Rich. Why she gets a pass on this point mystifies me; it is regularly regarded as her sole, unimpeachable strength. Didn't we learn anything from Karl Rove: go after it!

3. Hillary is only in the picture because Americans are so politically juvenile they can't be roused to learn about other politicians. She's on the cover of magazines, so she gets the vote. There is absolutely no question but that the only reason Hillary is competitive is because she shares a bed marriage with Bill Clinton. Otherwise she's an ... undistinguished second-term junior Senator, with less government experience than Barack Obama. This can never be exploited, but the reality is grim indeed.