Chicago Sun-Times ......Hillary thrives on campaign trail

[Alamom]

http://www.suntimes.com/news/huntley/486563,CST-EDT-HUNT27.article


Chicago Sun-Times

Hillary thrives on campaign trail

July 27, 2007
BY STEVE HUNTLEY

The big story line out of the Democratic presidential race thus far has got to be how Hillary Clinton keeps improving, maturing and getting more effective as a candidate.
Barack Obama raises more money than she does. The hard anti-war crowd beats up on her for not apologizing for her vote authorizing the Iraq war. Her critics cite poll results showing a lot of Americans say they would never vote for her.

Yet Clinton has maintained her hold as the front-runner in the Democratic marathon. Though labeled cold and calculating by her detractors, she seems to get better as the campaign progresses. She comes across as poised, confident, authoritative, smart, thoughtful and, most important, experienced. It's that last trait that she has exploited in the debates. Just take a look at her subtle and adroit handling of the YouTube debate question about whether the candidates would be willing to meet without preconditions, during their first year in the White House, with the leaders of Iran, Syria, North Korea, Cuba and Venezuela.

While saying that the country needs to get back to diplomacy, Clinton said that she would not "promise a meeting at that high a level before you know what the intentions are." She elaborated, "I don't want to be used for propaganda purposes. ... Certainly we're not going to just have our president meet with Fidel Castro and Hugo Chavez and, you know, the president of North Korea, Iran and Syria until we know better what the way forward would be."

In contrast to that, Obama replied -- "eagerly," as the Washington Post put it -- that he would make that commitment. "And the reason is this, that the notion that somehow not talking to countries is punishment to them -- which has been the guiding principle of this administration -- is ridiculous."

You can agree with Obama's premise, but Clinton's answer was a nuanced response recognizing the complexities of dealing with rogue nations <snip>

>... it's safe to say she has demonstrated that she's learned a lot from years of helping her husband in Arkansas and national politics, from the experience of two terms in the White House, and from her own electioneering and seven years in the U.S. Senate.

Clinton can plausibly claim that by the yardstick of experience she is the best qualified Democratic presidential candidate.

[avrdream]

1. Nice truth telling from the Chicago Sun Times

If you only read the stuff that was posted here, you would think that she gave some kind of crappy answer. I think this is getting totally overblown on this board.

Enough said.

[ccpup]

2. more and more

I find myself mistrusting what I read on DU. A lot of subjectivity is evident in the reporting of candidates and their responses which doesn't exactly lead to "reporting" I can count on. Oh well.

[Kagemusha]

4. Searching for objective truth on a subjective controversial matter in vain, I think.

I share your frustration, but I don't see it changing.

[beastieboy]

3. Obamas camp can keep spinning, but the consensus is that she is right

[ccpup]

5. what's sad

is that people like me -- who is basically open to any candidate at this point -- are getting immensely turned off by the candidate's supporters here on DU. If I don't have DU as a news source, will I then have to go back to the brainwashing of the MSM? And why would I continue donating to a site that feels like catty, back-biting, high school bitch fights 24/7?

Maybe I'm -- at 38 -- getting too old for this. :eyes: