Analysis: It's Clinton's race to lose...

WASHINGTON - Memo to the Democratic presidential candidates: You can still beat Hillary Rodham Clinton, but you better act fast.

The former first lady looks more likely to win the nomination every day, showing strength in polling, fundraising and setting the campaign agenda.

She's so strong, in fact, that the race has become about her. And Democratic operatives from presidential campaigns past and present say the only way for any other candidate to win the nomination is to make an even stronger case against her.

"If this were a wedding, we'd be at the 'speak now or forever hold your peace' part," said Steve McMahon, who advised Howard Dean in 2004. "If you're a candidate hoping to get past her, the time for nuance and veiled references has passed."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071025/ap_on_el_pr/clinton_s_race_to_lose

:party: :toast: :party: :bounce: :woohoo: :applause: :woohoo:

Don't you recall how quickly Dean's lead evaporated?

Just asking....

but Dean never had a lead approaching Clinton's.

This is the reality we have. It may not be the reality we would like, but we have to work with this reality.

-- Donald Rumsfeld (OK. He didn't say it, but he would have if he read DU.)


(I really DO this that the original post is a fairly accurate description of the political reality out there.)

She'll blow it. Just like she did health care reform, and many of her votes in the Senate.

Half of the electorate will never vote for her. There's little upside. She is who she is. And many Democrats will be demoralized if she's the nominee. And if she's mainly responsible for putting someone like Ghouliani into the White House, she must never be forgiven.

I feel somewhat LESS fearful about her capturing the nomination and then losing to the Republican.

Here are a few thoughts of mine on this:

(1) The likely Republican will be one of the seven or eight or ten dwarves we see in the Republican field now. There ain't no Great Communicator like Ronnnie Reagan out there. Personally, I favor Guiliani, because his background with gun control and pro-abortion will make him a difficult choice for the right wing base.

(2) If not Hillary, the choices on the Democratic side don't appear to be any stronger than she is -- and some of them are considerably weaker.

(3) Some are saying that Hillary will be able to turn on the charm and win a bunch of negative and undecided voters to her cause. If you think she'll win the nomination and then tank, you ought to hope that this notion has some credibility.

(4) If you've read Molly Ivins' book "Shrub," you know that Dubya has a history of running anything he gets his hands on into the ditch. He's now done exactly that with the whole entire country, and we've all ridden along with him right into the ditch we're in now. I think there are enough pissed off passengers on the bus ready to nail the Republicans in the 2008 election. They'll vote for the Democrat simply, because it'll mean getting someone who runs with a different crowd that Dubya.

(5) Does all of this mean that I feel certain that Hillary will become POTUS #44? Nope. I just feel a LITTLE better about the prospect of watching her pull away from the Republican with the all important 270 electoral votes.