Peggy Noonan: Where Are They Now? (Hillary Clinton plots her return)

Opinionjournal.com ^ | Thursday, December 9, 2004

[Area Freeper]

We have been writing lately about Republicans. Let's pay some attention to Hillary Clinton, just for fun.

I wrote a book about her more than four years ago. The idea came from a friend, a bright former-Republican-now-Democrat who thought my Wall Street Journal pieces on Mrs. Clinton's looming senatorial candidacy could be turned into something longer that made the case against her. I immediately thought: Yes, that could make a difference. I went to my publisher, who agreed, and I hit it hard, speaking to Mrs. Clinton's friends and enemies, scouring the record. What I concluded was that Mrs. Clinton was an unusually cynical leftist political operative who had no great respect for the citizens of the United States or for America itself, but who saw our country as a platform for her core ambitions: to rise and achieve historic personal and political power both with her husband and without him.

Since the book came out I haven't written much about Mrs. Clinton. I'd said what I had to say. In interviews on the book tour I said what seemed to me the obvious: she would keep her head down in the Senate and work hard, she would gain praise for her ability to get along with Republican senators, she would position herself as a moderate, and run for the presidency in 2008.

She is, right now, in what is surely the happiest time in all of her life, her zestful, independent and productive 50s. She is the single most powerful figure in the Democratic Party. She is popular and broadly supported in her adopted home state. She has a star's presence at meetings, symposiums, podiums and parties. She is the Democrats' premier fundraiser. She is its presumptive presidential nominee in the 2008 cycle. Her daughter is grown and launched

[BwanaNdege]

Me thinks "something wicked this way comes".

[what's up]

She could disavow what she has written in the past, but never has.

I think Peggy's wrong here...Hillary Clinton will "disavow" what she's written in the past in a heartbeat if it is causing her trouble.

And the left won't care because they'll know she doesn't really mean it.

[Blue Screen of Death]

Hillary will get a significant number of votes just because she is a Democrat (see Kerry v Bush). She will get a significant number of votes because she has a vagina and many similarly equipped voters will view this as the most significant qualification for any candidate.

She is dangerous. Always remember, do not grant any powers to the government today that you do not want Hillary to have in four years.

[hunter112]

Naa, Jeb ain't gonna run.

May I ask what you base this feeling on? I noted that Peggy Noonan did not include Jeb Bush in her "deep bench" list. The ones she did include were either people who were too liberal to get nominated by the national GOP (McCain, Giuliani, and Pataki, for instance), or are relatively unknown nationally (Allen, Hagel, and Owens, particularly). It's going to take someone with national name recognition, and who has solid conservative credentials to assume the Republican nomination and beat Hillary, if indeed she's the nominee.

Why not Jeb?

[RockinRight]

He has publicly stated he won't run. Not even for Senate (which is a shame).

[RockinRight]

She will get a significant number of votes because she has a vagina

Well...she's rumored to...

[Malleus Dei]

Hitlery would be worse than Kerry and Gore put together. Just what the nation doesn't need, Fidel Castro in drag in the White House.

We need to mobilize and prevent her re-election to the Senate.

[hunter112]

I didn't hear that. I'm quite disappointed. At least in the Senate, he could serve our country quite ably.

[WestSylvanian]

"making nice and fluttering her eyelashes."

She doesn't exactly flutter her eyelashes. She opens her eyes so wide with faked delight it looks like she's been stuck in the butt with a stun gun. She must think this charms people. Instead, it just looks like she's about to have to kiss ol' Bill and the prospect horrifies her. She'd prefer a smooch with Janet Reno.

[Antioch]

...What I concluded was that Mrs. Clinton was an unusually cynical leftist political operative who had no great respect for the citizens of the United States or for America itself...

do not be deceived America....

[Slyfox]

Very interesting pic.

It was Lenin who said, "The key to Marxism is medicine."

No wonder Hillary went after health care with such a vengence.

[reformjoy]

Noonan writes: What I concluded was that Mrs. Clinton was an unusually cynical leftist political operative who had no great respect for the citizens of the United States or for America itself, but who saw our country as a platform for her core ambitions: to rise and achieve historic personal and political power both with her husband and without him.

Bingo! She's pegged Hillary perfectly.

Makes me wonder, what are HRC's "core ambitions?"

Hillary doesn't respect Americans or America
but she craves to rule over us.

All plotted and planned from the beginning...

Even in the name she gave her little girl.

"Chelsea Victoria" Clinton
"Shall-see Victory"

[nj26]

"Why not Jeb?"

There's also the appearance of a dynasty. That might turn off some voters.

With respect to Hillary, I'm just waiting to see her applying for a gun permit, taking a hunting trip, quoting the Scripture, attending Church with cameras in tow, and signing along to "Country Sunshine", "Country Roads", and "Coal Miner's Daughter."

And I will bet anybody that she won't be using Whoopi Goldberg for her fundraisers in 2008. At worst, she'll have to use the Dixie Chicks. And maybe she can coax Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood out of retirement (I hear that they are liberals.)

[hunter112]

There's also the appearance of a dynasty. That might turn off some voters.

If the Presidency of the United States were handed off as in an old fashioned monarchy, yes, that might be a very valid point. However, in order to get elected, one has to beat one's opponent in an election, no matter who your daddy was. If Hillary and Bill aren't some kind of a dynasty, well, we can always point out the Kennedys to the Rats!

[Area Freeper]

I have never heard that, but I suspect it is incorrect. I work with a Canadian who has an MBA from McGill, but had a very difficult time getting into this country.

[lilmsdangrus]

btt

[Marysecretary]

I could swear I heard that, perhaps here or on FNC. Oh well, I could also be very wrong.

[Area Freeper]

Fox and others (especially the moronic Michael Savage) exaggerate the threat to our borders because it appeals to the hangups of the least common denominator. Securing our borders is next to impossible and valueless. Anyone with the resources to commit a terrorist act in this country has the money and the identification to enter this country "legally." All 19 911 hijackers did.

[DoctorMichael]

On immigration she has begun talking tough on border security, accusing the administration of not spending enough, employing enough people, using the best technology. She recently called herself "adamantly against illegal immigrants," by which she no doubt meant illegal immigration, and has been inching toward support for a national ID card.

So.........Opposition to 'Illegals' is purely a Republican/Conservative issue.

Don't get me wrong here but what about the 'Unions', the stalwart voting block of the Democ-Rat-ick Party? This subject should cut both ways in that unionless, cheap labor is an abomination to this Rat constituency.