TIME FOR EDWARDS’ EXIT: HILLARY, BARACK FATE IN HIS HANDS
Published in the New York Post on January 15, 2008.
The Democratic nomination for president will likely be decided by the subtle pulls of ego against duty that tug at the conscience of John Edwards. He manifestly can no longer win – but he helps Hillary Clinton if he stays in the race and boosts Barack Obama if he pulls out.
After a vigorous campaign, Edwards has fallen irreparably behind – the real race is now a grueling test of strength with Clinton. The contrast between the party’s insensitive establishment and the determined voices of change couldn’t be clearer.
HILLARY SILENT ON BOB JOHNSON’S OBAMA SMEAR
Published on Newsmax.com on January 14, 2008.
Hillary Clinton, who had told Tim Russert on “Meet the Press” earlier on Sunday morning that if someone on her staff engaged in personal attacks against Barack Obama that person “would be gone,” failed to take action or to distance herself from the founder of BET when he launched such an attack.
THE RACE CARD
The race for the Democratic presidential nomination will be about race. The essential Clinton argument will be that Obama cannot win because he is black. The attack will be cloaked in seemingly innocuous rhetoric and code words will abound, but the fact will remain that the Clintons will be telling Democrats: Don’t take a chance on an African American nominee.
We need to dissect and deconstruct all the Clinton words to determine whether there is a racial implication beneath them. Often it will be there.
MAN TO BEAT: MCCAIN’S CROSS-PARTY APPEAL
Published in the New York Post on January 12, 2008.
John McCain is starting to look like the candidate to beat for the GOP nomination. Not long ago, he was dismissed, unable to compete with Rudy Giuliani’s star power. But with New Hampshire, the tortoise has overtaken the hare.
If McCain wins Michigan on Tuesday (as he did in 2000), Rudy may find himself so far behind before he starts to run that he can never catch up.
WILL NYC MAYOR MIKE BLOOMBERG RUN?
Published on FoxNews.com on January 11, 2008.
While Obama and Clinton wrestle and the four Republican candidates face one another, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s shadow increasingly falls over their playing field. Armed with as much money as he could possibly need to run, this Democrat-turned-Republican could throw the entire race into chaos.
NOW BARACK BETTER BRACE FOR BARRAGE
Published in the New York Post on January 9, 2008.
Hillary Rodham Clinton’s stunning comeback victory in New Hampshire duplicates the feat of Bill Clinton who overcame the draft and Gennifer Flowers in the Granite State primary in 1992.
But Hillary did Bill one better. He placed second. She won. Those who counted Hillary out don’t know her and don’t know the Clintons.
HERE COME THOSE TEARS
Published on January 8, 2008.
Why did Hillary cry during an ABC interview yesterday?
Some say it was phony, contrived to make her appear more human and empathetic. Wrong. She must have known the political consequences, particularly for a female candidate, of tears. Ed Muskie watered his political grave in New Hampshire in 1972 by crying in public over the false accusation that he had used a derogatory ethnic term to describe French Canadians. Nixon’s dirty tricks people had planted the phony story. But the tears ended Muskie’s candidacy.
HILLARY: THE LIKABILITY TOUR IS OVER!
Published on January 7, 2008.
Hillary Clinton made one thing very clear at Saturday night’s Democratic debate: her likability tour is definitely over!
Baring her claws at opponents Barack Obama and John Edwards, the real Hillary was finally in evidence. The mask was off and her rage, arrogance, and sense of entitlement were on full display.
It was not a pretty picture.
