Clinton Insider: "We're not going to be anyone's attack dog against Sarah Palin"

Mission declined.

I hate to keep making this point, but Obama's spectacularly failed his first attempt at diplomacy. Someone who should be your ally who nevertheless only helps half-heartedly and works against your interests behind your back? Hey, Obama -- Hillary is France. And you seem to have had just as much success with Hillary-France as Bush did with real-France.

The article has several choice nuggets in it apart from the lede:

Although she is 60 and unlikely to have another shot at the White House, Clinton is apparently concerned that she would appear ungenerous to the Republicans' first female vice-presidential candidate if she were to go after her.

It is a rationale that will fuel the belief - lingering among Democrats since Al Gore's failed 2000 presidential run - that the Clintons always put themselves before their party.

...

Her refusal to roll up her sleeves against Palin, who describes herself as "a pit bull with lipstick", has already come under questioning by Democratic apparatchiks. "The strategic imperative right now is to do something about Palin and prevent her cutting through the race," said Democratic strategist Tad Devine.

...

Attacking Palin represents an even more slippery challenge for Obama.

Just before Palin's selection, David Plouffe, Obama's astute campaign manager, looked at the electoral map of the US and declared the national polls less important than the 18 battleground states where Obama had the ground troops, enthusiasm and money to win.

Palin's emergence has upset those calculations and forced the Obama campaign for the first time to re-examine its successful campaign tactics. Obama now has a great need to drive up voter turnout among black people and the young, while staunching defections to McCain from blue-collar workers and women.

I've cut a lot from the article, but Hillary will be campaigning for Obama; just not play the role of an anti-Palin attack dog. In one bit I liked, Obama asked Hillary to campaign like crazy in Ohio and Pennsylvania, which he needs, and Hillary said, Sure, I'll do that, in between campaigning in Texas, where you have no chance of winning but where I have big donors to help retire my debt.

Hint, hint.

Former top Clinton adviser Howard Wolfson also says it's not going to happen, because... it wouldn't be classy, or... something.

For whatever unfortunate reasons, editors and news executives are convinced that two women fighting sells magazines and attracts eyeballs. You can imagine the thinking....if Angelina Jolie vs Jennifer Aniston and Britney Spears vs Christina Aguilera sell copies, what could be better than Hillary Clinton vs Sarah Palin?

Don't hold your breath. It's not going to happen.

It's not in Hillary Clinton's interest, and its certainly not in the interest of Barack Obama and the Democratic party.

You may not remember, but Hillary Clinton is at her best staying positive and contrasting with her opponents on issues...

Democrats are running against John McCain, not Sarah Palin. Running against Gov. Palin instead of Senator McCain would be a mistake...

Clinton-Palin might drive ratings and sell magazines, but it wouldn't be good for the Democratic party, or the cause of women's rights. Some might enjoy the spectacle, but don't expect Hillary Clinton to play along. Hillary Clinton has spent a lifetime resisting quick and easy stereotypes, and she's not about to stop now.

You'd have to think that if money could fix this Obama would have just given her a couple of suitcases of cash by now. He's got a couple of hundred million, after all.

End of the 57 State Strategy: Barack Obama promised to compete in 57 states (50, 57, whatever it takes), but is now cutting all spending in all the states you'd figure he'd lose.

A bit of reinforcement for the above article's point about Obama reevaluating his whole strategy for the first time.

Thanks to CJ.

posted by Ace at 12:55 AM

| Access Comments