British opinion piece: "The wind at Hillary's back"

[DeepModem Mom]

London Times: The wind at Hillary's back
William Rees-Mogg
After the chaos of Katrina, the Clinton advance on the White House is looking unstoppable

HAS KATRINA made Hillary Clinton the next President of the United States? No, because her campaign was already rolling ahead in the month before the hurricane. But Katrina, and the slow response, may have been the final blow to Republican prospects for the election of 2008....

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Senator Clinton’s polling figures for the primaries look fine. Before the Katrina disaster, which both she and her husband have handled with their usual skill, she had an 81 per cent approval rating among Democrats. By comparison, the leading Republican candidate for the 2008 nomination, Senator John McCain, had only a 56 per cent approval rating in his party.

Hillary is also the star fundraiser for the Democrats, not only for herself, but for fellow members of her party. Money can be decisive, both in the presidential primaries and in the presidential campaign itself. It helps that she is a senator for New York; it helps even more that she has the Clinton machine....

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The Bush family recognise the Clintons as the only other American dynasty in this century. They use Bill Clinton when bipartisanship helps them, and he has used them to rehabilitate his image, which has also improved that of his wife.

This may confirm the reports that the Bushes are not planning on having a family candidate for the next presidential election. They have recognised that it would look too dynastic for Jeb Bush, the Governor of Florida, to run as his brother’s successor. Jeb helped to fix the Florida recount in 2000. In effect, the Bush family are almost acquiescing in the return of the Clintons....They may be right to accept the reality. Apart from Senator McCain, who is an attractive candidate to independents, the Republicans do not have an obvious candidate for 2008, just as the Democrats do not have a convincing alternative to Hillary....

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,1052-1775942,00.html

[AX10]

1. Clark 08'!

No more pro-Iraq war morAns.

[Gloria]

2. I'm with you!

eom

[AX10]

3. Thanks!

:hi:

[Clarkie1]

4. Yep, it's Hillary. Even the Bushies know it's her.

Might as well just cancel the primaries in 08' so we can use Hillary's $$$ to fund congressional races, etc. She won't need the money much herself to win, as the Republicans don't have a viable alternative to her.