Hillary & Barack: Another Obama Rhetoric-Reality Disconnect?
Here's another glaring example: Barack has told donors that Hillary is in the running. Likewise, he's informed the press and the public that Hillary would be "on anybody's short list."
Except his, apparently. His campaign didn't VET Senator Clinton, according to this morning's "Politico," or extend her the mere courtesy of even pretending to consider her seriously.
Don't get me wrong -- as I noted last night there are plenty of good reasons not to pick Hillary. But to try to woo donors and convince her voters that she's under serious consideration when, in fact, that's not the case is deceptive, no?
And if he'd somehow turn around and choose Hillary at the eleventh hour -- in a panic about the polls -- what does it tell you about his judgment that he'd select a candidate he hadn't even vetted? Certainly it would bespeak a certain recklessness (does he really think everything that needs to be known about the Clintons is publicly available) in pursuit of perceived political gain.
In any case, it seems somewhat odd, and perhaps revealing of sub-optimal political-diplomatic judgment, that the Obama team wouldn't at least extend the little courtesies, including requests for documents, etc., that would allow him to claim with some credibility that he had given Hillary due consideration as a potential running mate.