Gut Check Time

It's time to really think about Hillary. If the Democrats really are going to put her up in the general election - and as far as she's concerned, she's playing like last weekend's Patriots game against the Dolphins - reality will eventually have to be evaluated over the dream that she's electable.

Now is the last moment for Obama or Al Gore to torpedo her game and turn the MO.

Obama will have to go down swinging. And since he's the reserved candidate who doesn't seem to get fired up (he's cerebral, doncha know?) about anything, it doesn't sound like he's going to be able to get the belly of discontent worked up. I'm not saying stage a Rick Flair imitation ala Howard Dean - that would be suicide. Maybe he can try to get more resonance out of his PA system? Whatever it is, he's going to have to do it right now. Otherwise, he'll have to just hold out for V.P. or Secretary of State or something cool like that.

Al Gore? It's a non-starter, right? I don't know. I've said many times that he's got a good racket going on, why take the pay cut? But he's also still pretty angry at Bill and specifically Hillary for castrating him for 8 years, and then not being there for him when he needed them. It would be in his right, as blood feuds go, for him to show up at the last minute and block her field goal. It'd also be interesting if he were to form an American Green Party. Yeah, I know that Ralph Nader already did that, and how damn Ironic it would be if he was the head of the exact same party that torpedoed his campaign in the 2000 run. And that's why I like this story. It's full of irony, backstabbing, blood vendettas, and old fashioned jealousy. That's why I'd really like to see it play out like that.

The bigger issue is whether Hillary can win it. At the rate things are going, the prevailing wind is saying "anyone but Hillary" and they'll get it. And so will the rest of us.

Let's add to the fire that since Nancy Pelosi and her Do Nothing Democrat Congress - it's been 9 months, Nancy. The only thing you've done is piss off Turkey - has an approval rating of 11.

11! King George is at 34% according to CBS.

Hillary has the power to energize the base of the Republican party. Wanna know how to fire up a focus group of Republicans? Ask them what they think of the prospect of four more years of Bill and Hillary Clinton? They won't even need a little cattle prodding from Karl Rove. Who needs the "vast right-wing conspiracy"? Rove will just put that on a bumper sticker! They will show up to the polls. And not just to knock Hillary out, but take back the Senate and the House too. And with that, you can guarantee the Supreme Court continue to be filled with pro-business, conservative judges. Hillary can do that.

And forget the female factor "Hillary reminds men of their first wives." (source)
Women won't vote for her just because she's 'one of theirs' that's just slippery slope thinking and no way to run a campaign.

Al Gore could beat any of the Republican candidates. Hillary could lose to all of them. It might be time to either draft Al Gore, or nominate Obama. The clock is running out, and there are no more time outs left.