Monday, February 19, 2007

Why Not? Because there is a God

A just God would never allow this to happen:

WASHINGTON - If Hillary Rodham Clinton wins the presidency, some top Democrats would like to see her husband, former President Bill Clinton, appointed to serve out Hillary’s unexpired Senate term.

“As a senator, he’d be a knockout,” said Harold Ickes, who was once a top White House aide to Bill Clinton and now gives behind-the-scenes advice to Hillary. “He knows issues, he loves public policy and he’s a good politician.”

Some Democrats and political analysts say Bill Clinton would thrive in the world’s greatest deliberative body, much like Lyndon Johnson did before he became president.

“President Clinton would excel in the Senate,” said Paul Begala, who helped Bill Clinton get elected and served in the White House as a top aide.

“Why not?” Begala added. “He excelled as attorney general and governor of Arkansas, he excelled as president and he’s been a model of the modern Senate spouse.”

Larry Sabato, director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia, agreed.

“Clinton is a natural for the Senate,” Sabato said. “He loves to talk and schmooze. He could be a great vote-organizer. Majority Leader Clinton?”

Such a scenario is not beyond the realm of possibility now that the governor’s mansion in New York is occupied by a Democrat, Eliot Spitzer, who succeeded Republican Gov. George Pataki last month. If Hillary Clinton wins the White House, Spitzer would likely appoint a fellow Democrat to take over her Senate seat.

What can I say? These people are right. If Hillary wins the White House, this is entirely feasible. I need to go back and re-read the Book of Revelation though; I suspect this would be a sign of the Apocalypse.

Perhaps it's time to get my personal house in order...

Update: As I thought about this a little longer, I realized that Paul Begala must be rooting for someone other than Hillary for President. I'm firmly convinced that while the American people are nostalgic for the Clinton Years, they won't want a re-run. Accurate or not, they remember it as a period of a strong economy and peace abroad, and a Presidency where sex was the greatest scandal. There might even be a yearning for it as a simpler time. But once they focus on it, and are reminded of the missed opportunities to get Osama, and the impeachment, and the questions associated with Marc Rich, campaign finance, the White House travel office, Vince Foster, Whitewater, and all the rest, they will resist a return.

This is a challenge for Hillary's campaign. She has to replicate her husband's winning formula, without reminding voters too much of him.

That's why this sort of talk is no help to her effort. She needs to distance herself from him, and assure voters to the best of her ability that she brings the GOOD things from the Clinton Presidency, but not the bad things. The last thing she needs is talk that Bill will be back in a position of real power. She once got in trouble for saying that they were a package deal - you vote for him, you get me. Voters will resist that again.

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