Erstwhile Clinton-basher NY Observer now raves about Hillary

[BurtWorm]

in an unsigned editorial. (They endorsed Bob Dole in 1996.)


http://www.observer.com/pages/editorials.asp

Not only has Mrs. Clinton remade her public persona; she’s also been a very good Senator for New York. She has shown political maturity and a capacity to toss aside ideology in favor of solid work with her colleagues in the Senate. She’s proven herself to be a moderate on social issues and a hawk on defense policy. Her handling of the hot-button abortion issue has been deft: Early this year, she made headlines by telling an abortion-rights group that they need to find "common ground" with abortion opponents, outraging many of her New York Democrat friends—who will always vote for her anyway—while winning praise in the heartland. She has filled her speeches with multiple references to God and prayer, such as declaring that religious people should be allowed to "live out their faith in the public square" and saying that religious groups which preach abstinence are on the right track. She also impressed Middle America with her support for the Iraq war and wasted little time in making herself a presence on the Armed Services Committee, where she has a say in national-security issues.

But her flirtation with conservative values doesn’t seem to have hurt her in her adopted state: 69 percent of New Yorkers approve of the way she’s handling her job. Even Chuck Schumer, the state’s very popular and politically savvy senior Senator, cannot match that number (his approval rating is a still-impressive 63 percent). New York’s Republicans are falling all over themselves to say nice things about Mrs. Clinton: 49 percent of them give her a positive rating, up from 37 percent in 2002. She’s taken steps to court local officials who once dismissed her. The Republican lovefest is very much a reflection of the power Mrs. Clinton has accrued, and the perception that she is a serious contender not to be crossed.

This is not to say that she will be able to coast to re-election: In her 2000 campaign, her lightweight opponent Rick Lazio—a Congressman from Long Island with no name recognition and a puppy-dog demeanor—raised $40 million. While Mrs. Clinton has won over New York’s more genial Republicans, antipathy toward her still exists among the right wing, and her opponent won’t lack for funding. But the Republican candidate will be facing the new Hillary Clinton: She’s no longer encumbered with the image of the jilted wife who’s willing to accept her husband’s outrageous behavior. And Bill Clinton has remade himself into a respected and well-liked world ambassador.

Indeed, compared to George W. Bush, Donald Rumsfeld and the rest of this reckless administration, Bill and Hillary Clinton are looking mighty good.

[Double T]

1. An unstoppable tag team..the Clintons in 2008

Hillary Clinton is probably the only Democrat that can turn this Bush disaster around with the help of First Man William Jefferson Clinton.

[applegrove]

2. It will be interesting to see how Rove tries to take her down. He

has always used the 'gay' thing to win elections. What bomb will he drop to convince New Yorkers?

[BurtWorm]

3. New Yorkers won't be convinced, but the rest of the country may.

If Rove were smart he'd try to turn her conservative votes against her in New York. But as this editorial suggests, not even that will probably work here.

[iconoclastNYC]

4. All i can say is that they better have a dirty tricks war room.

What kinda crap has Richard Mellon Scaife dug up on her since 2000? I don't the right the would have wasted it on her senate run, that's for sure. Better to let her lock up the dem nomination and then trash the Dems chance at 2008.

If i ever got a chance to ask her or Bill a question it would be: if nominated how do you plan on dealing with the ROVE/Corporate Media dirty tricks operation. How would you react to a swift-boat style attack?

More then anything I credit the swift boat august assanation of kerry for his defeat. He got a whole month of negative press cycles...it was all swifities, all the time, on FOX, CNN, and MSNBC.