ÿþ<html> <head> <meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html;charset=iso-8859-1"> <title>OnlineColumnist&reg;.com: Putin Punishes Georgia</title> <meta name="generator" content="Adobe GoLive 4"> <style type="text/css"> .style1 { font-size: large; font-weight: bold; } .style2 { font-size: large; font-weight: bold; font-family: Arial; } </style> </head> <body bgcolor="white" vlink="black"> <center> <table cool width="624" height="2719" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" gridx="16" showgridx gridy="16" showgridy> <tr height="79"> <td width="133" height="118" rowspan="2" valign="top" align="left" xpos="0"><a href="aboutdiscobolos.html"><img height="110" width="62" src="images/discobolos.logo.transp.gif" border="0"></a></td> <td width="7" height="118" rowspan="2"></td> <td width="482" height="79" colspan="2" valign="top" align="left" xpos="140"><img height="75" width="450" src="images/banner.GIF"></td> <td width="1" height="118" rowspan="2"></td> <td width="1" height="79"><spacer type="block" width="1" height="79"></td> </tr> <tr height="39"> <td width="182" height="39"></td> <td width="300" height="39" valign="top" align="left" xpos="322"><a href="aboutdiscobolos.html"><img height="14" width="267" src="images/divisionofNEW.GIF" border="0"></a></td> <td width="1" height="39"><spacer type="block" width="1" height="39"></td> </tr> <tr height="24"> <td width="624" height="24" colspan="6" valign="top" align="left" xpos="0"> <table border="0" width="100%" bgcolor="black" cellspacing="0"> <tr> <td> <table border="0" width="100%" bgcolor="#99ffcc" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="4"> <tr> <td align="center"> <div align="left"> <a href="index.html"><font face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular" size="2"><strong>HOME</strong></font></a><font face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular" size="2"><strong> &#149; <a href="articlesindex.html">ARTICLES</a> &#149; <a href="books.html">BOOKS</a> &#149; <a href="teflon.html">THE </a><a href="teflon.html">TEFLON</a><a href="teflon.html"> REPORT</a> &#149; <a href="mailto:letters@onlinecolumnist.com">REACTIONS</a> &#149; <a href="aboutdiscobolos.html">ABOUT DISCOBOLOS</a></strong></font></div> </td> </tr> </table> </td> </tr> </table> </td> </tr> <tr height="2"> <td width="133" height="2">&nbsp;</td> <td width="489" height="2576" colspan="3" rowspan="2" align="left" xpos="133" content valign="top" csheight="2573"> <p class="style2">Hiilary&#39;s Double-Edged Sword</p> <p><b><font face="Arial,Geneva,Helvetica">by John M. Curtis</font></b><font face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"><b><a href="books.html"><br> </a></b></font><font face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"><b>(310) 204-8700</b></font></p> <p><font size="2" face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"><i>Copyright August 27, 2008<br>All Rights Reserved. </i></font>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <span class="style1">D</span>elivering the speech of her life, a well-rested and feisty Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) gave a frenzied audience at Denver s Pepsi Center buyers remorse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Her emphatic speech asked her supporters to endorse Democratic presumptive nominee Sen. Barack Obama (D-Il.), while, at the same time, reminded them she would have made a better candidate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Hillary covered most bases but didn t relent on her frequent concerns about Barack s lack of experience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Her negative talking points during the bitter primary fight now serve as GOP presumptive nominee Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) central argument of why Barack isn t ready for primetime.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Hillary s speech exposed serious cracks inside the Party, raising questions why the 60-year-old junior New York senator wasn t picked as Barack s running mate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>Picking Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.) was a crushing blow to Hillary s faithful.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> &nbsp;<span style="mso-tab-count:1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>Lurking in the background, former President Bill Clinton displayed a range of emotions, ranging from adoring pride or to a smug  I told you so. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>When he takes his primetime slot tonight, he can be expected to remind voters how good things were during his presidency and how bad things have become under Bush.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>While making the case against McCain no doubt involves reminding voters how bad things have become, Bill must sell the Party s nominee.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Still licking his wounds at least for now about the end of the Clinton dynasty, it may be difficulty to throw his soul behind Barack.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>His gyrating emotions during Hillary s speech revealed complex relationships inside the Clinton family.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>His daughter Chelsea introduced Hillary as  her hero, not one word about her father.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Healing the Party won t be easy for the diehard Hillary supporters, uninspired by Barack and Biden.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <![if !supportEmptyParas]>&nbsp;<![endif]><span style="mso-tab-count:1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>When the convention convenes today, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will preside over the state-by-state roll-call voting placing both names into nomination.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>At some point, Hillary is expected to stop the roll-call, throwing support to Barack.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span> Are you ready for victory?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Then you must be ready for unity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>That is the only way we are going to win and have this victory, Pelosi told Iowa s convention delegates.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>What Pelosi and others don t get is that Hillary s zealous supporters won t jump in line behind Obama.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>When Barack s brain-trust picked Biden, Hillary s fans wretched, unable to accept the decision.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span> Barack Obama is my candidate, Hillary told delegates Tuesday night to a muted reaction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span> An he must be our president, realizing that without Party unity Obama can t get their on his own.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Her passionate speech only reinforced her supporters grief and anguish.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <![if !supportEmptyParas]>&nbsp;<![endif]><span style="mso-tab-count:1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>Bill s speech tonight must address  buyers remorse, itemizing President George W. Bush s abysmal failures since he left office in 2001.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>He must not only link McCain with Bush he must remind voters about potential perils under more Republican rule.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Hillary tried to remind her supporters that she s fighting for the soldier in Iraq, the welfare-mother in Detroit or the unemployed tech-worker in Silicon Valley.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Hillary s moved on but her loyal following is still left at the station.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Bill could go a long way in mending fences, blasting the White House for mismanaging the nation over the last eight years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span> We re on the same team, and none of use can sit on the sidelines, said Hillary hoping to pull her following out the funk that threatens Barack s chances in November.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Bill s speech should light a fire under Hillary s supporters, urging them to shift their loyalty to Barack.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> &nbsp;<span style="mso-tab-count:1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>McCain hopes to rain of Barack s parade, announcing his running mate perhaps on Aug. 28, the day Obama accepts the nomination before 80,000 screaming Democrats at Denver s Mile High Stadium.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>McCaim must counter Barack s move picking Biden, raising the stock of his once bitter rival, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>While others swirl around his big choice, including former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty and long-shot Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), only Romney offers McCain the kind of warrior needed for the battle ahead.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Romney helps McCain with instant cash and possibly tilting the balance in Michigan, where his father George served as governor [1963-69].<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Despite the underdog heading into November, McCain s strategists are heartened by Democratic disunity and Barack s pick of Biden for VP.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <![if !supportEmptyParas]>&nbsp;<![endif]><span style="mso-tab-count:1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>Hillary speech reminded the faithful that the best candidate didn t get either spot on the Democratic ticket.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Barack s decision to bypass the  dream ticket could come back to bite him in November.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>No matter what Hillary and Bill s problems, picking her for VP would have bought more votes heading into November.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>McCain plans to counter as early as Thursday with Romney, hoping to derail Obama on his big day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Unless Barack offers a concrete prescription for success, the Dem s convention could go down as one of the most wasted extravaganzas in modern political history.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Before Bill gets his turn in primetime, Biden will get to make his case against McCain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>He has a chance to help heal the rift with Hillary s faithful and make a convincing case for changing parties in November.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>If Bill does his job, he ll remind voters what happens when mediocrity hits the White House. </p> <p><b><u>About the Author</u></b><br> </p> <p><b>John M. Curtis </b>writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He&#x2019;s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of <a href="books.html">Dodging The Bullet</a> and <a href="books.html">Operation Charisma</a>.<br> </p> <p></p> </td> <td width="1" height="2576" rowspan="2"></td> <td width="1" height="2"><spacer type="block" width="1" height="2"></td> </tr> <tr height="2574"> <td width="133" height="2574" valign="top" align="left" xpos="0"><img height="172" width="111" src="images/johninframe3.jpg"></td> <td width="1" height="2574"><spacer type="block" width="1" height="2574"></td> </tr> <tr height="1" cntrlrow> <td width="133" height="1"><spacer type="block" width="133" height="1"></td> <td width="7" height="1"><spacer type="block" width="7" height="1"></td> <td width="182" height="1"><spacer type="block" width="182" height="1"></td> <td width="300" height="1"><spacer type="block" width="300" height="1"></td> <td width="1" height="1"><spacer type="block" width="1" height="1"></td> <td width="1" height="1"></td> </tr> </table> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="2" width="597"> <tr> <td><font size="1" face="Arial,Geneva,Helvetica"> <hr noshade size="1"> </font><a href="index.html"><font face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular" size="2"><strong>Home</strong></font></a><font face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular" size="2"><strong> || <a href="articlesindex.html">Articles</a> || <a href="books.html">Books</a> || <a href="teflon.html">The Teflon Report</a> || <a href="mailto:letters@onlinecolumnist.com">Reactions</a> || <a href="aboutdiscobolos.html">About Discobolos</a></strong></font> <div align="left"> <p><font size="1" face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular">This site designed, developed and hosted by the experts at</font><font size="2" face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"> <a href="http://www.cmeonline.net" target="_blank"><img height="30" width="138" src="images/cmelogoANIM.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle"></a></font></p> </div> <p><font size="2" face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular">&copy;1999-2005 <a href="aboutdiscobolos.html">Discobolos Consulting Services, Inc.</a><br> (310) 204-8300<br> All Rights Reserved. </font></td> </tr> </table> </center> </body> </html>