The New York Times reports that "In the past week, the Bush and Clinton camps have traded nasty words and asides in a series of exchanges that had the faint echoes of their open warfare during the 1992 presidential campaign…But strategists in both parties say the hostilities were more likely the opening shots of the 2008 presidential campaign season."
One of the biggest reasons the titular head of the GOP would deign to engage Mrs. Clinton is probably because she faces no major challenge for her Senate seat and is free to lay the groundwork for an Oval Office run. At the same time, it seems apparent that Hillary has selected President Bush as her opponent, as she has spent the new year blasting the administration on issues such as Iran, Medicare, and body armor shortages in Iraq. Meanwhile, Hillary's successor as First Lady has also recently gotten into the act. Laura Bush said that Hillary wouldn't get her vote for President. Mrs. Bush feigned surprise that Mrs. Clinton could be elected president, and when she was asked if she would welcome Hillary there, Mrs. Bush joked, "You mean as President?...I think I'll vote for the Republican woman…whoever it may be." Earlier, Mrs. Bush had called Hillary "ridiculous" for comparing the House of Representatives to a plantation.
