Why Hillary Still Lives To Fight On Politically

Last year the conventional wisdom was that Hillary Clinton would be the Democratic Party's candidate for president in 2008. She was touted as the "presumptive nominee." The pundits believed it, and she herself believed it. So what happened?

What happened was that there are a lot of people who have been turned off by Clinton style politics. After all, we had eight years to evaluate the way the Clintons do business, and so we know that they have no real principles, except what is best for them politically. They maintain a fleet of buses to throw people under who get in their way.

We also have seen Senator Hillary Clinton in action. Much of the base of the Democratic Party, including young people, are dismayed by her votes in support of the Iraq War, and her vote to declare the Iranian Revolutionary Guard a terrorist organization - the same as authorizing George Bush to attack Iran. They don't trust her to end our involvement in Iraq. Come to think of it, they don't trust her, period. She won't renounce the Defense Of Marriage Act, and she still thinks "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" was a good idea at the time.

This is what the pundits mean when they point out that Hillary Clinton has "high negatives." This is the reason why she has not been able to seal the deal even though she was thought to be a shoe in for the nomination. Should she steal the nomination from Obama, she will still have those high negatives. In the meantime, she is tearing Obama down with her negative attacks. Read today's New York Times editorial, which chastises her for the negative tone of her campaign.

Let's hope Obama finally manages to drive a stake through the Clinton's political heart during the next set of primaries. Otherwise, we might as well prepare for the third McCain-Bush term.

Photo: Sometimes the sand piles up over the stairways on the Cherry Grove beach.

Jim