–updated–
cross-posted on Huffington Post
Talk about timing. I\’d like to be a mouse in the newsrooms of every paper in
this country today. It also looks like Tim Russert will finally have to have
women on to discuss this issue. He can\’t really think men will be the only voice
on the subject now that Hillary is in, can he? Of course, I kid Timmy, but it
also has the added punch of being true. Let the battle of great political broads
for TV time begin.
Sitting in a living room setting, Senator Hillary Clinton made one simple statement
that changed the landscape of the \’08 presidential tournament to come. (To add, I got an email about this event this morning just after 6:00 a.m.) Because
when the first woman to run for president, with an actual chance of winning,
puts her name and reputation on the line, it becomes news of the day, week,
even a generation.
I\’m in. And I\’m in to win.
Today I am announcing that I will form an exploratory committee to run for
president.And I want you to join me not just for the campaign but for a conversation
about the future of our country — about the bold but practical changes we
need to overcome six years of Bush administration failures.
Right now, the blogosphere is her biggest challenge, I believe. The cynics
and skeptics out here are wide and deep (but announcing on the web certainly helps her). People distrust her because of her
Iraq vote and her lack of willingness to move quick enough to recast that vote.
I\’ve been very critical of her, starting at Take Back America last year, when
I first became convinced she would indeed make this run. Having written a lot
about Senator Clinton after reading dozens of books, most of them horrendous
hit pieces, about this woman I\’ve learned one thing about Clinton. She\’s got
real courage. She\’s going to need it. No doubt Patrick Healy will be waiting
in the wings with more.
One thing is certain, with the entry of Senator Hillary Clinton the Democrats
have all the excitement and star power on our side. Even Pat Buchanan on MSNBC said, though the pace of the race was forced by Obama jumping in, Clinton handled her announcement perfectly. She\’ll certainly suck all the oxygen up this weekend.
But with Senator John McCain\’s star dimming with every day, it makes way for Romney
and Rudy, in my opinion. It\’s also possible that Hillary\’s entry will cause many
conservatives to be more pragmatic. Who knows, they may even saddle up to St.
John, thinking he\’s the only one who can beat her, provided she wins in the
primaries. That is anything but a foregone conclusion.
Senator Barack Obama is a real challenge. Fresh, young, always against the
war and prepared to redeploy to prove it. He\’s already put forth a statement about being partners in this campaign to simply get rid of Mr. Bush.
Former vice presidential candidate John Edwards, pronouncing Bush\’s escalation
plan as \”The McCain Doctrine,\” has not only said he was wrong about
his Iraq war vote, but been campaigning to redeploy from Iraq as well. He\’s the one to watch in this race, though I\’ll be watching them all for now.
There is also Biden, Dodd and Vilsack in the mix, but they\’re on another level
altogether, though honorable men every one.
Yes, Hillary is in. Let the pot shots begin. Let\’s hope she\’s got her armor on.
The 90s ended up being very cruel for Mrs. Clinton. Going through the presidential
meatgrinder won\’t be any better. She\’ll be topic #1 on right-wing radio all week. It will be brutal.
But get ready for Sunday, folks. It will be all Hillary all day long. Like I said at the top of this post, nice timing.
…and I went the entire post without even mentioning him.
UPDATE (10:18 a.m.): Kevin Drum is postulating on veeps for Clinton. So, as long as we\’re into fantasy \’08 teams, I\’ve got two words: James Webb. …lots more here.
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