[centurion316]

I believe that Barnes' assessment is correct, but that Dean will capture the Democrat nomination, nonetheless. The real winner in all of this is Hillary Clinton, and the real loser is Al Gore. Dean is a throwaway, its hard to imagine how he could craft a winning campaign, despite what Bill Kristol has to say. This is just another nail in the coffin of what is already a likely defeat for Democrats in 2004.

But, 2008 is another matter. Hillary has positioned herself clearly on the pro-war, moderate side of the debate; while Al Gore has signed up with the anti-war, Marxist wing of the party. Al Gore is already crying in his beer and Hillary is once again proving that she is the most formidable political strategist of our age. Do not underestimate this woman. She is a force to be reckoned with, and she has just made mincemeat of every Democrat on the national scene.

[vanmorrison]

You know what, I'm beginning to conclude that this "Hillary in 2008" thinking is utter nonsense. After Bush decimates Dean and Gore and Clinton next year, and completely routs the Democrat Party, bringing it to a state of inconsequentiality, how can anyone continue to believe that, after five more years of the new Teddy Roosevelt, that is, GWBush, with his military and economic success unseen in a president in a hundred years, there is any way possible that a has-been, also-ran, baggage-laden, skanky jerk like "Hillary" has a chance in hell to replace whoever Bush's hand-picked successor may be. Right?