Emcee Hillary.
Over 7,000 Democrats packed into Iowa's Veteran's Memorial Coliseum to watch Hillary's performance as mistress of ceremonies for the state party's Jefferson-Jackson Day Dinner. Oh, and to watch the official Democratic candidates for President. When she wasn't busy introducing six of the party's announced candidates, Hillary was blasting the administration and giving plenty of red-meat liberalism to the partisan crowd. "We have to be willing to make the case that this President has no vision for America...It's hard to imagine how in such a short period of time we could see such a reversal of fortune in so many areas," she complained. Hillary also criticized President Bush's foreign policy, claiming that although America had engendered great sympathy around the world after 9/11, that sympathy had vanished in the wake of the war in Iraq. "When the rest of the world turned its heart to us, [Bush] turned his back," she said. "I believe that America is ready for a change and America is ready for a Democratic President again, but the only way we will get that is if the enthusiasm and the energy we see here tonight is sustained for 50 more weeks," Mrs. Clinton told the cheering crowd. All in all, the event and Hillary's performance had to be considered a success, as the Iowa Democratic Party raised more than $300,000 at the event and Hillary was able to put herself in the national spotlight once again. However, several of the candidates campaign aides had privately complained about Hillary's appearance, and it was interesting that her own seven-minute speech was longer than that of any candidate. The highlight of the night may have been when the Gay Men's Choir of Des Moines, dressed in black, sang the national anthem.
The Longest Shot.
Newsweek is reporting that there is still a scheme for Hillary to get into the presidential race. It all "depends on what you mean by 'get into the race'," says one of her closest friends and advisers. The scenario has that Hillary making an entrance as a "healer and unifier" at the end of a bloody primary season in May or June in the unlikely, but not impossible, chance that none of the existing contenders has won a majority of the convention delegates. Hillary's advisor tells Newsweek that "You'd have to have Howard Dean not wrapping it up, and being an angry, wounded front runner. You'd have to have two of the other challengers tearing each other apart in primary after primary. Then Hillary could come in, well in advance of the convention, and say, 'Look, somebody has to save the party'." Under the rules of the Democratic Party, convention delegates are bound to vote for the candidate under whose banner they were elected in the primaries, but only on the first ballot. Then, the "superdelegates," who include party and elected officials, would be able to shift allegiance, and could coalesce to form a solid group of support for Hillary. It is a far-fetched scenario, but a possibility nonetheless.
Draft Dodgers.
The Washington Post reported that the "Draft Hillary" movement-such as it is-is divided and openly feuding. In fact, separate elements of the movement "can't stand each other." Specifically, VoteHillary.org's Adam Parkhomenko, a mere misguided lad of 18, says he is "avoiding" Hillary Now.com mastermind Bob Kunst a crusty old leftist. Kunst says he is avoiding Parkhomenko, and views the youth as someone on a "total ego trip."
Unfortunately, this untimely spat occurred right at the time of Sen. Clinton's appearance at the Iowa dinner/fundraiser, so the Draft Hillary movement wasted a prime opportunity to capitalize on the event and draw attention, well, positive attention anyways, to their efforts.
To add insult to injury, both Parkhomenko and Kunst were barred from even entering the same building as the event, so they both waited outside selling HRC buttons and bumper stickers.
No Nukes.
Hillary recently sent a letter to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge calling for the protection of New York State's nuclear power plants with Combat Air Patrols. Her request came in response to recent news reports indicating that the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security have warned government and industry officials to be on guard against terrorists' hijacking cargo jets in Canada, Mexico or the Caribbean and then flying them into the United States to attack nuclear plants.
Wrote Hill: "I urge you to consider establishing regular combat air patrols over the Indian Point, Nine Mile and Gina nuclear power plants in New York." She also wondered whether or not recent air intercept drills conducted by the Pentagon included scenarios under which the potential target is one of the nation's nuclear power plants.
