Clinton Has Nothing To Lose

The Weekly Standard: Though Both Candidates Faced Tough Questions, Hillary Came Out On Top

(Weekly Standard)  This column was written by Fred Barnes

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You only had to watch last night's Democratic presidential debate to understand why Hillary Clinton stays in the race. She's losing the nomination fight to Barack Obama in both the delegate count and the popular vote. But if bad things happen to her in a debate or while campaigning, she'll be no worse off. She'll still be losing. Her prospects of winning may be slightly more remote, but they aren't exactly bright now.

But if bad things happen to Obama, that's another story. In a debate, he's bound to be asked questions about matters he'd rather not be front and center in this campaign. And indeed those matters were dwelled on last night: his pastor Reverend Jeremiah Wright, his week-old putdown of small town voters, the American flag pin he no longer wears. No good can come to Obama when these issues dominate a nationally televised debate, as they did last night.

Sure, Clinton had a tough time dealing with her lie about having been under sniper fire in Bosnia in 1995. But so what? She's already suffered whatever hurt that episode may have caused her. For now, all Clinton has to do is stay in the race and hope Obama makes more rookie mistakes. No Clinton candidacy, no TV debates, far less pressure on Obama.

He made a few mistakes last night under questioning by Charlie Gibson and George Stephanopoulos — but not egregious ones. He compared his association with a former left-wing bomber to his friendship with a Republican senator. He said he hadn't signed a questionnaire in which he advocated a ban on guns, though it's been widely reported that his signature was on the document. He said he might raise the capital gains tax even though a higher rate might reduce the revenue it takes in.

Obama insisted repeatedly that the debate — indeed, the entire presidential campaign — had gotten off the track whenever he was asked about unfriendly issues. These were a distraction from the real issues confronting America, he insisted, though once again he and Clinton essentially agreed on almost every single one of those supposedly more important issues when they did come up.

Clinton, given her desperate position, was free to say just about anything. She cited her record of "35 years of producing results," though what these results might be remains a mystery. She claimed to be "ready to be commander-in-chief," but her only evidence was that some retired generals have endorsed her.

Obama doesn't have to provide Clinton a national audience for these dubious claims. All he has to do is refuse any further debates, including one in North Carolina before the state's May 6 primary that CBS wants to stage. Clinton has already accepted.

This won't keep Obama entirely out of trouble. He made the disastrous comment about working class people clinging to guns and religion at a private gathering in the San Francisco mansion of the Gettys, classic limousine liberals. But declining further debates will reduce the risks he faces as the frontrunner.

He was lucky in San Francisco. His remarks were tape recorded, but there was no video. Imagine if there had been. His condescending remarks about the denizens of rural Pennsylvania would still be playing everywhere, not just on cable news.

Clinton wasn't as lucky. Her peaceful arrival in Bosnia with no snipers around was videotaped for all to see. And no doubt anyone likely to vote this year did.

[blackspirit3]

FLIP FLOP HILLARY????
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton discussed actions that would warrant a nuclear response that would %u201Ctotally obliterate%u201D Iran. The New York Senator told ABC''s %u201CGood Morning America%u201D Tuesday and MSNBC''s %u201CCountdown With Keith Olbermann%u201D Monday that, if president, she would be willing to use nuclear weapons against Iran if they orchestrated a nuclear attack on Israel.

Clinton, who has tried to cast her rival as too inexperienced for the job of commander in chief, said of Obama''s stance on Pakistan: "I don''t believe that any president should make any blanket statements with respect to the use or non-use of nuclear weapons."

[texanforlogi]

Since she has already lost the respect of most of the voters of the country it''s true that she has nothing more to lose!

[bluestardad]

GREAT POST! IF SOME OF YOU CAN READ!

Hillary, the Evil One wishes to destroy America and all hard working Americans with it. She was part of the Chinese "military secrets for campaign dollars" Clinton program. She was on the WalMart board while they dumped all chance for American companies to compete with the Chinese for WalMart business. She was working hard FOR NAFTA to help Americans lose their jobs. She voted FOR the Iraq war, and look what''''s happened to our economy as the Dollar slips into the sewer.

Hillary, do America a favor and just die.


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Posted by Guilden_NL at 11:42 PM : Apr 20, 2008

[bluestardad]

HANG IN THEIR REPIGS!

IF YOU REALY WORK AT IT YOU CAN KEEP AMERICA IN MIDDLE EAST WARS FOR THE NEXT 100 YEARS!

AMERICA STAND UP OR SHUT UP!

[wogerwabbit]

Why is it that the right wing rags all want Hillary running against McSame in November?

[hungry1968]

when the American flag becomes part of the smoke and mirrors it is really sad.
whose fault is that?

Posted by ainttaken at 11:19 PM : Apr 20, 2008





In the rose garden the other day, Bush and Gordon Brown were giving a press conference - they both WERE NOT wearing their country''s respective flag pins.

Yesterday PM, Newt Gingrich was on Hannity''s show - neither was wearing flag pins.

Last month, Bush and Cheney''s pictures on their wikipedia pages were "refreshed" to have "new" pictures (with flag pins) put on their pages - prior to that their pictures DID NOT have their flag pins.

McCain in AT LEAST two different press meetings last week, DID NOT wear a flag pin.

Why is it perfectly acceptable when the "right" does not wear the pins, but a "display of hatred and contempt for your country" when the left doesn''t wear them?

[kaelinda]

Here''s what Obama actually said about small-town voters: "You go into some of these small towns in Pennsylvania, and like a lot of small towns in the Midwest, the jobs have been gone now for 25 years and nothing''s replaced them. And they fell through the Clinton administration, and the Bush administration, and each successive administration has said that somehow these communities are gonna regenerate and they have not. So it''s not surprising then that they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren''t like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations."

This isn''t insulting. This is right on target. Obama knows what rural America is going through!

chitown, who is going to vote for Obama but Democrats? Do you really think calling Hillary names like you do is going to make Clinton Democrats vote for him if he is the nominee. Sometimes, I think Obama''s worst enemies are his supporters who drive everyone away trying to protect him.

[popstom1]

The free ride Obama was geting is over now you''ll
see what a real ratbaster he''s

[nyam2]

By endorsing Hillary, the retired generals were simply endorsing a coded message for her to retire or `duck` from the race as they too can figure out the snipers `generally` !