TPM: Why Hillary isn't getting into a "cat fight" with Sarah Palin. A good read.

[99th_Monkey]

Hillary Weighs In On Lipstick-Gate, Doesn't Attack Palin
By Greg Sargent - September 10, 2008, 7:05PM

Hillary defended Obama from the GOP lipstick brigade at a D.C. news conference today, saying that Obama's comment was "in no way meant as an affront" and accusing McCain's campaign of trying to "divert attention away from challenges facing Americans."

But Hillary, apparently, refused to attack or criticize Palin...

Asked about Palin and her candidacy, Clinton responded only that the campaign should be about the issues. "What I see as critical in this election ... are the differences over issues." She added, "What happens in people's lives is what really counts... That's what it should be about."

A quick word on this. Lots of you have written in to ask where Hillary is or why Hillary hasn't savaged Palin or why she hasn't been more visible at this moment.

Here's the deal. The Obama campaign is in the driver's seat on this kind of stuff. I'm told reliably by people in both the Obama and Clinton camps that there were discussions this weekend -- in advance of Hillary's appearance on Monday -- on how to proceed. Both Obama and Hillary advisers were in agreement that having Hillary personally attack Palin would result in a distraction and media circus that would create more problems than it would solve and would take the focus off McCain and the issues.

I haven't found any evidence yet that Obama's people wanted any more from Hillary on the Palin front than she's delivered. Whatever you think of this conclusion, these things get discussed and hashed out by both camps behind the scenes, and they try to agree on a course of action beforehand. The notion that Hillary would or should go out on her own and attack Palin is just at odds with how these things work.

http://tpmelectioncentral.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/09/hillary_weighs_in_on_lipstickg.php

[cui bono]

1. Yep. It would just titillate all the male pundits to have two women going at it.

Focus. That's what we have to do, focus.

[99th_Monkey]

2. Question of the Day: Will the actual issues ever be discussed? ~nt~

[lamp_shade]

3. I'm in total agreement. No "cat fights" please. No catnip for the media.

[Berry Cool]

4. All true, and avoiding the situation is very smart.

OMG, can you imagine what the media would do if Hillary started going after Palin and Palin attacked back? Just about every male in the media would eat it up and trivialize it at the same time.

We'd hear constantly about their "catfight" and their "hair-pulling match." Cartoonists would have a field day sketching them as two schoolgirls on a playground, in titillatingly short skirts and knee socks, with comically exaggerated breasts and lips, down in the dirt yanking each others' hair out while a circle of boys, including Obama, Biden and McCain, looked on.

The words on every pundit's lips: "Ha ha ha! Isn't this a riot, seeing these two gals go at it! But seriously, isn't it ridiculous? When are these silly girls going to stop their ruckus so The Men can focus on The Issues????"

[central scrutinizer]

9. what you said!

spot on!

[Arkansas Granny]

5. I think they handled it exactly right by trying to turn the discussion back to the issues.

I found this sentence very interesting: "Whatever you think of this conclusion, these things get discussed and hashed out by both camps behind the scenes, and they try to agree on a course of action beforehand."

This reinforces what some of us have been saying since Hillary started campaigning for Obama. They are working together to decide the best way to get Obama's message out. I hope some of those who have criticized Hillary's efforts will see this and realize that she is doing what has been asked of her as she said she would.

[BeyondGeography]

6. But the catfight would be so exciting!

(Smart move; it would soak up a week of coverage.)

[Window]

7. They are absolutely correct. Some people won't be satisfied unless they mud-wrestle.

:kick:

[BadgerKid]

8. A catfight would feed Americans' cynicism. n/t

[Cha]

10. Exactly! Too bad for all you

catfight fans out there.

[yellowcanine]

11. Hillary is playing it exactly correctly. And so are Obama and Biden.

Let others point out the shortcomings of Palin. Keep talking about issues. DON"T TAKE THE BAIT.