Wednesday, January 24, 2007

Time to Chat? No Thanks

It was rather disturbing watching the Stepford Candidate presentation by The Pantsuit the other day. Never have I seen a more scripted, phony presentation than that absurd web video. It was as if every word, every phrase uttered was vetted by a focus group and an army of consultants. Which it likely was. When I think of Hillary Clinton, she's the last person I'd like to have a chat with.

What I see is another foray into the Listening Tour brought forth back in 2000, when she traipsed around New York State pretending to "listen" to the audience, never once taking a hard question from the fawning media. I sense we're about to replay that charade all over again. So does Tony Blankley.
Cato the Elder, the great Roman senator, stood for the proposition "Carthago delenda est" -- we should destroy Carthage. Thomas Jefferson ran for president to protect the yeoman farmers from Hamiltonian big government. James Polk promised to steal Texas from the Mexicans. Abe Lincoln stood to preserve the Union. FDR promised to defeat the Great Depression with bold experimentation. Ike would end the Korean War. Ronald Reagan promised to build up our military strength, defeat Soviet communism and cut taxes and spending.

And last weekend Hillary Rodham Clinton presented herself for election to the presidency of the United States with the timeless, clarion call: "So let's talk. Let's chat, let's start a dialogue about your ideas and mine, because the conversation in Washington has been just a little one-sided lately, don't you think?"

The junior senator from the Empire State may not be leading with her strength with the theme of "a time for chatting." Of all the politicians who have strode, minced, ambled or marched across the stage of American politics over the years, Hillary may be the one least likely to induce the desire to be chatted up by.

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