Choking Up In New Hampshire?

Video of Hillary Clinton's emotional response to an audience question in New Hampshire this morning is making its rounds on the Web and on TV. It was a rare moment for a candidate perceived as tough and robotic. During Saturday night's debate, Clinton looked hurt when asked by the moderator why Barack Obama is so well liked – and she isn't. "That hurts my feelings," she replied.

But that was a debate, what happened in her morning event was much more spontaneous. (You can read about the question and watch her response here). And it's the kind of event which will drive a lot of discussion going into the tomorrow's primary voting.

In 1972, Democratic presidential candidate Edmund Muskie stood in front of the offices of the Manchester Union Leader to mount a counter-offensive against the paper which had harshly attacked he and his wife, at times in personal ways. An emotional Muskie appeared to cry as he attacked the paper in defense of his and the episode has been credited for his campaign's collapse after New Hampshire – a state he won but badly underperformed his own expectations.

There is less chance that Clinton's "moment" will have such an impact on her campaign and could even work in her favor. Hillary Clinton, unlike her husband, has had trouble connecting to voters on a positive, emotional level. But Muskie's tears (he later said it was melting snowflakes on his cheeks) ran nearly ten days before the primary, giving it time to sink in. Today's response by Clinton won't go unnoticed by a long shot but also may not have a chance to marinate among voters.

And, it's something that could easily cut two ways among voters. Some may see it as a genuinely display of emotion, others may think it contrived or a show of weakness from a candidate who has made her toughness a hallmark of her candidacy. More likely it will be just one more image in a campaign for the history books.