The Hillabeast

I fell asleep while attempting to watch the CNN late-night rerun of last night's Dem debate (oh yeah, I lead a very exciting life) but I caught enough of it to be afraid -- very afraid -- that Obama is not going to pull off a win against the Hillabeast.

Let me say right up front that Billy Bob Clinton and I had a peaceful co-existence during his WH years right up until the moment he disappointed me with that ridiculous "what the meaning of 'is' is" bullshit. Do I think the Lewinsky affair merited all of the over-the-top wailing and gnashing of teeth that followed? Absolutely not. I don't really care where Bill chooses to snuff his cigar. But he insulted my intelligence with the parsing and lying and indignant finger wagging, and that's not so easily forgiven.

I'm seeing that same kind of mendacity now in the powerful Bill-Hill tag-team attacks on Obama. Last night Hillary lied about everything from Obama's Illinois legislature record, to his observations about Reagan, to his vote on the 2005 bankruptcy bill amendments. The Hillabeast and her mate are spouting lies and distortions with such fluidity that uninformed (and otherwise well meaning) citizens will not even recognize them as lies and distortions.

If the shock of Republican vitriol popped her decency cherry in 1992, and if the vast right wing conspiracy hardened her like concrete in the years after, Hillary Clinton has transmogrified into a shark. Cold blooded, ruthless, cunning, and utterly predatory. No depth too low, no prey too innocent, and absolutely no mercy.

I guess that's ok if you like that sort of thing in the White House. Bush-Cheney supporters should feel right at home. On the positive side, she will make an excellent adversary for even our scariest enemy. Plus, she'll eat Republicans for breakfast and spit them out on the sidewalk on her way to lunch (some of us might find that enjoyable sport after the past 7+ years).

Sadly, primary voting Dems don't seem ready to let bygones be bygones and move toward the kind of leadership Obama represents. And, in the end, I don't think Obama has it in him to dwell in the muck with the Hillabeast.

Too bad... I still think he'd carry the general election with a clear majority.

For Reference:
Obama's "Present" votes in the Illinois State Legislature
Obama's GOP "party of ideas" video clip (scandalous!!)
Debate video clip
TPM video clip with Super Tuesday analysis