Posted on 02/24/2006 6:14:29 PM PST by blam
Pushy new aides signal Hillary's run for White House
By Alec Russell in Washington
(Filed: 25/02/2006)
Hillary Clinton has recruited two loud-mouthed consultants who masterminded her husband's "back from nowhere" presidential run in a clear hint at her own White House ambitions.
James Carville, known as the "Ragin' Cajun", for his no-holds-barred approach and Louisianan roots, became the world's most sought-after election adviser after Bill Clinton's 1992 victory.
Officially, he and his long-time partner, Paul Begala, have been hired by Mrs Clinton to raise funds for her campaign for re-election as a senator for New York state in November.
But as she already has nearly £10 million in the bank - against the £138,000 raised by her probable Republican challenger - she seems to be trying for the White House.
According to campaign finance laws, any money she has left in the bank from her Senate campaign can be used for a presidential run.
While polls suggest nearly a third of Americans remain wary of a woman in the White House, and recent public appearances suggest she will have difficulty "connecting" with Middle America, her ratings continue to rise.
She is the out-and-out favourite for the 2008 Democratic nomination with one poll suggesting she has actually gained a few points from a Republican bid to paint her as angry and irrational.
Bald and with a pronounced southern drawl Mr Carville dominated the Clinton 1992 "war room", which specialised in taking the fight to the Republicans after years of Democratic defeatism.
He minted the key slogan of the campaign, "it's the economy, stupid", a tag which he pinned to the wall of the campaign room to remind staff to stay on message.
Incongruously, he is married to Mary Matalin, an adviser to Vice-President Dick Cheney.
Mr Begala originally played the quiet man, focusing on writing speeches while the Louisianan coined slogans. But in recent years he has become an outspoken pundit.
Christian Winthrop, a spokesman for Mrs Clinton's expected opponent this year, John Spencer, said the enlistment of two "liberal attack dogs" showed the "panic" in her camp. The duo know all about "panic" from 1992 when they had to rescue Bill Clinton from the brink of disaster over his private life - and some Hillary gaffes.
Rove, who let the greatest military victory ever be spun as a loss?
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