Posted on 01/29/2006 6:17:41 PM PST by demlosers
HILLARY Clinton's 2008 presidential campaign is running
Leon Panetta, Mr Clinton's former chief of staff, said there was "nervousness" among Democrats about backing such a controversial figure at a time when many Americans believe President George W.Bush has polarised the country.
Like Mr McCurry, he wondered whether Ms Clinton was "the kind of lightning rod that would stimulate all of the opposition" and resurrect the "hate side of the political agenda".
"Ultimately the issue is: do we turn to something new? We've been through the Clintons, we've been through the Gores, we've been through the Kerrys, all of whom are known quantities in politics," Mr Panetta said.
Mr Bush described Ms Clinton as "formidable" in an interview ahead of his annual State of the Union address tomorrow. Republicans are determined not to underestimate her voter appeal in 2008, particularly as they are short of well-known candidates. "This is an unusual year because this is the first time there hasn't been a kind of natural successor in the party," Mr Bush said.
The Democrats have a rising star in Mark Warner, who recently stepped down as governor of the conservative state of Virginia. His proven appeal to moderate voters is attracting Democrats of all shades who are anxious to win, but he remains little known on the national scene.
The doubts about Ms Clinton's electoral viability have surfaced as she romps towards re-election as New York senator this year.
She has already seen off one Republican challenger, whose campaign was reduced to tatters, and last week dispatched another, Ed Cox, the son-in-law of former president Richard Nixon. He turned down his party's increasingly desperate pleas to stand.
Ms Clinton's modest success with voters in small-town upstate New York is taken by some as proof she can win over conservatives, although according to last week's poll, 90per cent of Republicans would definitely not vote for her.
New Republic magazine, the left-of-centre weekly, argues in its current issue that the voters of rural New York bear little comparison to diehard Republican voters in the south and midwest.
"She is going to have to bring something else to the national stage," it warned.
Ms Clinton's hawkish stance on the war on terror, Iraq and Iran has infuriated the anti-war movement. Molly Ivins, a left-wing commentator, wrote last week that she would not support her for president.
"Enough," she fumed. "Enough clever straddling, enough not offending anyone."
Mr McCurry believes that, contrary to popular belief, Ms Clinton is a conviction politician rather than "a wild-eyed liberal", but says that were she to become president her divisive reputation could get in the way of her program for government.
"It would not be a comfortable place to be hunkered in a bunker for four to eight years getting pelted by the Republicans with rotten tomatoes," he said.
Ms Clinton is waiting for her Senate race to be over in November before making a final decision on whether to stand. There is no doubt she would love to return to the White House, this time with Bill as "first gentleman".
The further away he is from the centre of power, the more Mr Clinton has gained in popularity. If he returns to the fray, the cash-for-pardons scandal at the end of his presidency and the minutiae of his sex life are likely to be re-examined. And after two Bushes in the White House, two President Clintons could be regarded as overly dynastic.
In the Senate, Ms Clinton has forged political alliances on such issues as the environment and healthcare with Senator John McCain, a 2008 Republican contender. According to Mr McCurry, she is enjoying the role of consensus-maker.
"She clearly understands there is a real need to re-establish some sense of bipartisan co-operation and has to ask herself: 'Could I be that kind of leader?'," he said.
"That takes you to the question the polls raise, which is: will she get that opportunity?"
The Sunday Times
Woodstock. It's not upstate I guess, but it has a lot of "Support the Troops; Impeach Bush" signs on lawns.
Fraud?
Over at DU, the people who consider themselves the "base" of their party place Shrillary way down on the list of possible candidates. Algore has almost 50%, with Shrillary getting only 7%.
Shrillary as my junior senator is a reason I'm moving to Florida. And I'm Episcopalian.
Yeah, right. Maybe the fake "conservatives" who pop up every now and then to screech that we have to support the RINO du jour, but that's about it.
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