Hillary Clinton about to announce candidacy for President

By Pablo Fanque, National Affairs Ed. (illustration by Jack Brummet)

The Big Announcement will probably happen next week. She has two weeks to go official, since it appears she has rented a campaign headquarters in Brooklyn. /Pablo F (illustration by Jack B)

Hillary Clinton on the cover of the New York Times Magazine

By Pablo Fanque, National Affairs Ed.

The New York Times published this less than flattering pic of Hillary this morning on the cover of the magazine.

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Hillary Clinton 2016, or, why Joe Biden is so effed

By Pablo Fanque, National Affairs Editor

There is no question in my mind anymore that Hillary Clinton is running for President.  She's running, which doesn't necessarily mean she will remain running.  But for the moment, she's in.  She is making the rounds of all the appropriate conclaves, has worked to solidify her position with the black community after majorly offending many of them (in particular some of the things Bill Clinton said on the campaign trail caused a lot of hurt), and is checking in with all her old friends and supporters.  The strategy seems to be working.

As much as she and BHO tilted during the 2008 campaign, she was a loyal and hard working Secretary of State, and they seemed to have emerged from it all with at least a deep mutual respect.  So much so that President Obama has done literally nothing to help grease the skids in case Joe Biden decides to throw his hat in the ring.  In fact, in 2012, the White House took their sweet time to deny persistent rumors that BHO would dump Joe Biden and replace him on the ticket with HRC.  A President would normally give a serious boost to their VPOTUS at this point in the game.  But BHO is sitting on his hands.  And Smilin' Joe is understandably frustrated.  But, judging from his visits to various Democratic rallies and numerous visits to the early caucus state, Iowa, he too is running for President.  For now. 

In numerous appearances in the last year, former SoS/Senator/First Lady Clinton has differentiated herself from VP Biden, often by reiterating her support for the raid that captured and killed Osama bin Laden (which the Veep strongly opposed).    

In a September appearance in Iowa, Vice President Biden said that John Kerry, Clinton’s successor as secretary of State, was “one of the best secretaries of State in the nation’s history." Clinton was not even mentioned.

Joe Trippi, the veteran Democratic operative who ran Howard Dean’s presidential campaign in 2004, told Real Clear Politics that he did not believe Biden would take on Clinton but that it was possible that something unforeseeable might make her decide not to run (or leave her seriously weakened or wounded).

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A current meme on women running for President

By Pablo Fanque, National Affairs Ed.


This image has been making the rounds. . .it originated on Common Culture (or, they added their name to it).

But where's Senator Warren?? Like Hillary, she doesn't probably have a *huge* shelf life either. If anything like this scenario plays out, Hillary will be a one term President. She will go one and done. Which leaves Elizabeth Warren in 2020, possibly thwarting the interwoven double dynasties of the Houses of Clinton and Obama.

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Triple portrait of SoS Hillary Rodham Clinton

Click to enlarge the SoS

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Obama set to name Senator Hillary Clinton head of State Department

By Pablo Fanque,
All This Is That National Affairs Editor
on hiatus in Bucerias, Nayarit, Mexico

Paintings/sign by Jack Brummet

This could get very interesting. It already is. Both Obama and The Clintons each have three negotiators haggling over the Secretary of State cabinet position. How many other top slots in the history of America have ever involved six negotiators? I can tell you authoritatively. None. Ever.

Is this a harbinger of factionalism in the nascent Obama Administration? Bill Clinton has said he would do "whatever it takes" to open the way for Hillary to get the State Department nod. Whatever it takes includes forgoing many lucrative (to the tune of millions a year) speeches, disclosing major donors to the William J. Clinton Foundation, naming and forgoing many consulting clients, and in general, clearing most of his activities with the Administration. That is a heavy load for a guy that has done it his way for the last 16 years or so. It is interesting enough that he is being let out of the doghouse after his angry and often race-baiting performances on Hillary's road to the White House.



click fo enlarge

Future President Barack Obama is on track to nominate The Senator as secretary of state after Thanksgiving an aide to his transition disclosed Thursday.

It is utterly fascinating the way this has played out in the press, with leaks, and positioning on both sides. No Drama Obama is wrapped up in this fascinating minuet under the full glare of the press [1] and bloggers. She is a fascinating choice for SoS.

Once again, Obama has buried whatever malignant feelings he might have ever held toward her. He is an amazing pragmatist and practicioner of the forgive and forget school of politics.



Sure, many people believe he wants her on the inside, because as President Lyndon Johnson often said, "it's better to have them inside the tent pissing out than outside pissing in." While many Democrats and beltway insiders openly question whether Clinton is too independent and ambitious to be the effective Secretary of State we desperately need, it is clear that Obama values her intelligence, diligence, experience, and yes, even chutzpah and moxie.

Large numbers of other Democrats believe in her too. Recent polls indicate that Hillary Clinton would have beaten John McCain by greater margins than Obama. Of course, that doesn't take into account the fact that her political organization collapsed in the face of Obama's clearly superior one. Would they have been able to put aside their infighting long enough to beat McCain? We will never know.

Clinton's nomination appears to be nearly a fait accompli. It will be fascinating to see whether she can live with the high degree of discipline Obama requires from his underlings. And that also applies to the 300 pound gorilla, Bill Clinton, who will need to spend a lot of the next few years sitting on his hands.

[1] Maybe not the full glare, with all the layoffs and downsizing of news organizations, including the latest one today: AP is cutting 10% of its workforce. Nearly every other major news organization has recently announced broad and deep cuts. "I guess this internet thing may actually really take off, after all."
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Hillary: "Hey...RFK got shot in June."

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Photo: March of the Superdelegates

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Elected! The plea of Obama, McCain, and Clinton (with Alice Cooper Video)

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Bill Richardson's slap in the face/another rat slips off the sinking ship HMS Clinton

After their shameless open courting of their old pal and cabinet member, Bill Richardson; after the two Bills most publicly drank beer, ate ribs, and watched the Superbowl together last month, and after promising to not endorse Obama, the Governor of New Mexico endorsed Barak Obama for President Friday in Portland, Oregon.

"Your candidacy is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our country, and you are a once-in-a-lifetime leader," said Richardson, the nation's only Hispanic governor, before a roaring crowd of 12,000 in Portland's Memorial Coliseum. "You will make every American proud to be an American."

Richardson broke the news to Clinton late Thursday. "We've had better conversations," he said.

In his speech, Richardson said "It is time for Democrats to stop fighting amongst ourselves and to prepare for the tough fight we have against John McCain," the Republican nominee. Or, in short, "get out of the race Hillary."

The Clinton camp, naturally, tried to brush off the endorsement, saying it was largely symbolic, and not likely to turn any votes around (well, if you don't count the superdelegates!). To find out what the Clintons are really thinking, perhaps it's best to look at their longtime loose cannon rolling around on the deck:

James Carville told the New York Times that Richardson, a former member of Bill Clinton's Cabinet, had committed "an act of betrayal." "Right around the anniversary of the day when Judas sold out [Jesus] for 30 pieces of silver, so I think the timing is appropriate, if ironic."

Now things are heating up. In response, Governor Richardson said this morning on a talk show:

"I'm not going to get in the gutter like that," Richardson said on "Fox News Sunday." "That's typical of many of the people around Senator Clinton. They think they have a sense of entitlement to the presidency."

"I am very loyal to the Clintons," said Richardson, but he said he wanted something beyond "Bush, Clinton, Bush, Clinton." "You know, what about the rest of us?" he asked.
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Obama On The Grill: Is the Saturday Night Live skit actually affecting the aggressiveness of reporters?

"You know, I've just about had it with you nosy press c**ksuckers"
OK. He didn's say it. But I bet he was thinking it.

The New York Daily News reported today in an article by Michael Saul on an Obama press conference in San Antonio where the press treated Barack like a panini.

"An exasperated Barack Obama scurried away Monday from the toughest news conference of his campaign, telling reporters who kept shouting questions that he'd spent enough time on the grill."

"Come on! I just answered, like, eight questions," Obamaa looking a little stunned, told shouting reporters as he fled the room. "We're running late."

The Clinton campaign and others have often said [ed's note: we think so too] that The Press regularly puts a blowtorch to Clinton as they lob softballs and creampuffs Obama's way.

First, they grilled him on his secret emissary to Canada, who told Canadian officials to ignore his babbling about NAFTA...the Obama emissaries essentially told the Canadians that all this dissing NAFTA was just to get votes, and that, once elected, it would be business as usual.

Obama last week categorically denied waffling on NAFTA, but after a Canadian official blew the scam, Obama admitted, "well, shucks, I guess we did send someone to Canada, after all." "When I gave you that information, that was the information that I had at the time," he said. [ed note: Richard Nixon moment No. 1].

Next up, the jackals of the press hit him once again on his troubling relationship with the corrupt, and soon to be convicted fun-raiser Tony Rezko, who went on trial in Chicago Monday on corruption charges. I find the issue troubling too, more for Obama's response than and possible crimes and miosdemeanors he committed. He is from Chicago, isn't he?

Onr reporter asked Obama why he was ducking the charges about Rezko?

Obama insisted he had told all at a news conference in Chicago media. "These requests, I think, can just go on forever. ..." and that he had furnished the pertinent information. [ed note: Richard Nixon Moment 2 - I bet I can come up with that exact same quote from Richard Nixon, who often insisted during the throes of Watergate that he had bent over backwards to povide information and that The Senate and reporters were being unreasonable.]

After a few more hardballs, Sen. Obama announced the press conference was finished. And one reporter shouted that he was dodging questions after claiming he wasn't.
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The Clinton Smear Machine Turns The Dial To 11

In another desperate move, someone in the Hillary campaign has circulated a two year old photo of Barack Obama in native Somalian costume. The photo was taken in rural Kenya. Obama was on a five country tour of Africa.

According to the Drudge Report, an email by one staffer asked "Wouldn't we be seeing this on the cover of every magazine if it were HRC?"

Obama's people, of course, accused the Clinton campaign Monday of "shameful offensive fear-mongering." Clinton campaign manager Maggie Williams shot back: "If Barack Obama's campaign wants to suggest that a photo of him wearing traditional Somali clothing is divisive, they should be ashamed."

The Clinton campaign team really has devolved into a cheap-jack mudslinging machine. At this point, if the Senator were running against Idiocracy's Dwayne Elizondo Mountain Dew Herbert Camacho, I'd probably vote for Camacho.

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Five Paintings: The Presidential Candidates Left Standing

Click to enlarge Barack

The Presidential Candidates Left Standing, are paintings of the last candidates in the race for the Presidency (excluding the absolutely hopeless Communists, Socialist Workers, Libertarian, and other fringe parties). Ron Paul and Mike Huckabee are just barely standing. Hillary is standing, but becoming very wobbly.


Click to enlarge Ron Paul



Click to enlarge John McCain

Click to enlarge Huck

Click to enlarge Hillary

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The end of the line for Senator Clinton

It's just a little sad for me to realize we won't have a female President, after all. This is an important thing, and it's shameful we've let it go this long (and now, for four, eight, or twelve years further out).

Unless Hillary comes up with unprecedented margins in the upcoming primaries, it's over, and it may already be over. Nine months until the General election leaves nine months to doubt and wring our hands. I am hoping that instead, we can enjoy the next year as one that will leave us Bush-free and Obama will come on strong and decimate the competition by mid-summer.
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Barack Obama, Kevin Curran, & All This Is That

Jack and Kev, in non-debate mode -- click to enlarge

If you are a regular reader, you will know that we frequently engage in verbal fisticuffs with reader and frequent participant Kev. We have tilted frequently on the viability of Obama v Hillary. One thing we do agree on (aside from most of our core values) is Mario Cuomo. And we are slowly perhaps coming to agreement on Senator Obama. An exchange from today:

Kevin said...
You've been slogging him pretty hard and long now, Jackie. What do you have against the guy? And don't say it's his supporters cuz you have been steadily negative since right after you called him tougher than dirt and figured his experience to be roughly equivalent to your gal, Hil's. That goes back a year or more. I'd bet a quick review would show you've steadily ragged him since then.

Jack Brummet said...

OK. Are you calling shenanigans?

I was absolutely stunned and humbled by the speech he made at the Democratic convention in 2004. And he was a huck; an Illinois legislator. His keynote address was extremely good. Maybe not quite at the Cuomo level of speechification, but the best I'd heard in years.

He was elected to the U.S. Senate that fall with 70% of the vote. In thr Senate, he co-sponsored bipartisan bills on controlling conventional weapons and on tightening accountability in the expenditure of federal funds (a position you have to admit is not so different from that of Ronald Wilson Reagan). In the current session of Congress--contrary to my frequent claims of near total absenteeism--he sponsored legislation on lobbying, electoral fraud, climate change, nuclear terrorism, and medical and psychiatric care for returning military basket cases.

In ways, I've been fighting against Obama because I don't think it's his time (and boy I know he's tired of hearing that old saw). And I don't want him to waste his shot. Because he does deserve to be President, and in my booklet, solely because he has the love and the strength and the passion to draw this country together. And if we had to wait four or eight or even twelve years for that, that would be OK. If we run him now, you have to guess we only have one shot. But I'm not so sure we have those four or eight or twelve years to sparel

On the other hand, I guess, I am willing to sacrifice Obama now, because I am not at all sure there will be a second chance. I don't want a sacrifice...I want him to win.

Will I fight for Obama? Of course. But I also worked for Carter, Mondale, Dukakis, and Kerry (well, with Kerry my involvement was only through checks). I hope Obama supporters have the stomach for the compromises their candidate will need to make to be elected. Hey guys, it's not the 60's! Ok. Maybe he won't nominate Lieberman, but whoever he does nominate will not likely sit well with his core supporters.

Yeah, I've been very tough on Obama. But he needs that. He has just about shown he can take anything that gets hucked at him.

So, at this late date, I too, am about to join the Obama bandwagon; he is my fourth and final choice.

I started out with John Edwards, and hung with him for a long time, and in the last couple of months, leading up to the first primaries, I settled on Joe Biden--even at that point a hopeless long shot. Then it was straight into Hillary's clutches. So, I come to Obama as my fourth (and final) choice. What spooks me the most is that Mondale, Dukakis, and Kerry were also my fourth choices. But even at this (comparitively early) date, I feel far more positive about the prospects of Barack Obama than I did with any ot those other three disastrous candidates.

Jack Brummet said...
Let me also note that I am all for Obama making the Supreme Court nominations that will surely come his way. There will likely be at least 2,3, or 4 in his first term alone. I'd be fine with Hillary's choices too. However, I also do not think Hillary will get the same kind of honeymoon as Obama. If he really is the uniter, and the vector of change we hope he is, Obama will be able to move mountains. And in my heart, I know that when Hillary tries to move mountains, she encounters the proverbial irresistable force. . .
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And So It Goes: Clinton Takes A Shellacking in Washington State & The Senator Weeps Once Again

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In an interesting sidebar, The Senator turned on the waterworks again today. I don't really mean "turn on." There is nothing wrong with becoming misty-eyed. It is a little unsettling that this person, who, thirty plus years, has shown nerves of steel, is moved to tears in public three times in the last month. But you know, maybe this is the result of hitting it hammer and tong in the hustings. If you spend that much time in the field, with the people, it's likely that you will hear horror stories of citizens thrown to the wolves. It doesn't offend me at all that Hillary has choked up at some of these questions. In fact, I have actually found it moving that this tough cookie could afford herself an unscripted moment, where we got to peek under the covers, if only for the moment. While I very much enjoyed listening to Obama's speech at Key Arena (a couple of miles from my house). . .it was, in the end, his standard stump speech, but leavened for the high tech crowd, the biotech community, Boeing, and praising Starbucks, Microsoft, McKinstry, and other businesses. My son Del (age 15) was at the speech and came away a believer.



Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., wipes her eye
as she listens to a disabled U.S. veteran's story
during a campaign stop in Lewiston, Maineon Saturday.
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The Barackus Caucus in Seattle

We went to our local caucus as we usually do. One difference this time around--instead of 18 people, our caucus had 94 people.



In our precinct, the vote went 72 for Obama and 22 for Clinton, or, five delegates for Obama, and two for Clinton. The majority of the undecided later went for Clinton, although not enough to give us an additional delegate to the county convention.

Interestingly--and this may be an anomaly--of the 72 Obama voters, about 15 were women. On the Clinton side, about 12 of our 22 voters were women. Keelin made a good speech for Hillary Clinton, and even brough up my Joe Lieberman argument. A lot of Obama supporters seem to think he will nominate George Clooney for VP, rather than the tired old hack or wardheeler he will inevitably have thrust upon him. They also seemed to believe he would end the war January 21st, fix the economy within a few months, and become fast friends with many of the other world leaders.

In the end, of course, we'll all pull for whichever candidate ends up on top. At the moment, Obama definitely has momentum. But all it takes is one little F**k-up to reverse that momentum. He's been pretty steady so far, but that only means he's due for one. This time, 'though, all of our skin will be in the game.
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Billary, then and now

I wonder if we will address them as Presidents Clinton? Or what?

Bill and Hillary, then

Bill and Hillary, now
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Run Barack Run! --- A poster

Click The Senator to enlarge

Since they have been so nice about calling to ask for money, I elected to make an in-kind contribution instead. I wrote the Obama campaign tonight, and offered this poster for their use free of charge.

[ed's note: Now that we've posted this, we notice Jack left off an important bullet point: "- He has the smallest mansion of anyone running!"]
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Photo fun: The Hillary haters rejoice as she sheds another tear 'though who is not to say Obama wasn't sneaking some teardrops too?

Did Barack Hussein Obama have his own boohoo moment?

A commenter, Hector, wrote the following about the "Democratic Poster" we published yesterday:

Hector said...

It appears that you missed the latest on your candidate, "the world class genius" "Hillary loses voice, bawls again, kills Vince Foster and will garnish your wages". Now that's someone to get behind.

Monday, February 04,
2008

They're coming out of the woodwork again. The Clinton haters----the most vehement of who seem to be Obama supporters--are joining ranks with the fellas, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Mark Levin, and the other radical conservatives looking for any flimsy reason to dismiss the New York Senator's presidential bid. Even Ann Coulter has backed off, and said she would vote for Clinton. The Obamanites don't much cotton to emotion, although they have hoisted their man onto a pedestal and generally characterize the Illinois Senator as Gandhi, Socrates, and Jesus rolled up into one smiling, marketable package.

If Hillary cried, so what? In context, and it's easy to see why it WAS an emotiomnal moment. People had a ball when George Bush shed a few tears. But it is apparently not seemly for a woman to exhibit the same emotion. The Obamanites scoff at tenderness and compassion in a woman as scripted and cynical but swoon over and venerate their Chosen One for showing the same emotions without the waterworks.

In fact, it appears to us that Saint Obama himself may have shed a discrete tears on the hustings. But even if he had, the Obama idolators would tell you it's OK, it comes from his heart.

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