In her videotaped announcement, which emulated Sen. Barack Obama's
announcement of his presidential candidacy last week, Sen. Clinton ticked
off the issues about which she is ticked off, because she says the Bush
administration has failed to deal with them. They include health care,
Social Security, Medicare and Iraq. The Bush administration has attempted to
address all of these, but Democrats have blocked any progress. It's an old
political trick. You work against success and then blame failure on the
president.
The Clintons have a well-oiled political machine that neutralizes people who
get in the way of their pursuit of wealth and power. Sen. Clinton sounded as
if she is ready to haul out that machine again when she said, "I have never
been afraid to stand up for what I believe in or to face down the Republican
machine. After nearly $70 million spent against my campaigns in New York and
two landslide wins, I can say I know how Washington Republicans think, how
they operate, and how to beat them."
Media reports speak of this being the most "diverse" presidential race ever
with a woman, (Clinton), an African-American (Obama) and a Hispanic (New
Mexico's Bill Richardson). But this is not ideological diversity, as all are
liberals. This race shouldn't be about race, gender, or ethnicity, but
ideas. The big media, so far, have tossed Sen. Clinton softball questions.
Handlers have been able to get away with limiting questions to pre-approved
subjects. The public will demand more from her and the media in a
presidential campaign.
There has never been a campaign like the one the country is about to
experience. The focus should not be on gender or any other side issue, but
on who is best qualified to defend the country against its many enemies,
foreign and domestic.
Look for the dirtiest, meanest and most costly presidential campaign in
history in pursuit of the answer.