Posted on 10/14/2006 6:40:01 AM PDT by governsleastgovernsbest
For Maureen Dowd, politics are mainly personal. This morning she managed to reduce the current Korean conflict to an image of two boys behaving badly. Also, is mocking John McCain's POW past a smart move for the Hillary camp? Dowd offered a stunning insight into the Hillary campaign that suggests it might not be the ready-for-presidential-primetime operation some might imagine.
The main topic of Maureen Dowd's subscription-required column of this morning, Is Chivalry Shivved?, is the war of words between Hillary and John McCain, as the two top presidential contenders recently fired some early shots over the other's bow on the topic of responsibility for the N. Korean nuclear mess.
Dowd managed to work in the DNC talking point of the week: the need for direct talks between the Bush administration and N. Korea. [Former Clinton UN Ambassador Bill Richardson was all over the morning shows today pushing the idea, by the way.] In any case, viewing the N. Korean nuke situation through her politics-of-the-personal lens, Dowd saw things thusly:
"It’s clear, after all, that the North Koreans are acting immaturely in response to W. acting immaturely. They want attention because the Bush administration inexplicably refuses to talk to them. And they know, in the pre-emptive world ordained by nutty Dick Cheney, that the best way to protect themselves from the fate of Saddam Hussein is to actually go nuclear, rather than merely fantasizing and boasting about it."
Just a couple of wild 'n immature guys, that George and Jong. Nice moral equivalence, Maureen. As for the pro-pre-emption Dick Cheney ["nutty" - this is what passes for serious criticism at the Times nowadays?], wouldn't Dowd agree that the world would be a much better place if Bill Clinton had permanently pre-empted OBL when he was handed the chance?
Aside: I was fascinated by this nugget Dowd reports from inside Hillary Central:
Privately, Hillary’s camp was not overly upset by the McCain swipe because it suspected he was doing the bidding of the White House and that he ended up, as one adviser put it, “looking similar to the way he did on those captive tapes from Hanoi, where he recited the names of his crew mates.”
If Hillary and her advisers think it's smart to attack McCain by making snide comments that invoke his five years as a POW, then she's not the smartest-woman-in-the-world political juggernaut some make her out to be.
This is a repost of my earlier ping. On reflection, I believe the most newsworthy element of Dowd's column is the quote from the Hillary adviser mocking McCain's POW past. I've rewritten the item accordingly.
Wondered why you had it pulled...
Petty post-menopausal partisan projection.
Yes, one on one talks like we did with Clinton really worked didn't they Maureen? Take a vacation as your column continues to be unimportant and irrelevant.
Of course it is. Her supporters spitting on a Police Honor Guard didn't stop Her Heinous from being elected Senator, so why not this? Besides, no one in the media will call her on it. She gets to whack McCain with impunity. It's not at all like when a Republican calls Max Cleland a doofus and gets accused of denigrating the service of a disabled Vietnam vet.
I was referring to Hillary.
Oops, sorry. Hillary is smarter than Dowd, but so is pocket lint.
I guess it's better than looking similar to the way nearly every Clintonista always ended up in front of the grand jury, Congressional investigatory panel or like venue, where they recited the same phrases over and over:
"I cannot recall"
"I do not remember"
"I have no recollection"
;-)
I think Hillary is the one they all think is so smart. The problem is that when someone starts believing what folks say about them, they stop being respectful, or nice, or, well, just plain decent.
rules is rules
You forgot the biggie...."I don't believe that you can prove that!"
Is it necessary to show a photo of Dowd? I haven't digested my eggs yet and she makes me nauseous.
Excellent way to frame it. I really do think the Hillary aide's comment was a big blunder, if the media will pay it any attention.
I think all the Botox has gone to the brain...
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