An unlikely source touts Clinton's prospects

Dick Armey was at the center of the mid-1990s "Republican revolution." As a House member from Texas, he helped write (and often is credited as the chief author of) the "Contract with America," the manifesto that guided the party during the last weeks of the 1994 midterm campaign. When the election surprisingly resulted in GOP control of both chambers of Congress for the first time in 40 years, he became House majority leader.

Armey is retired now, and as he gazes toward the 2008 election he has thrown in the Republican towel, at least in the race for the White House.

While attending a Conservative Leadership Conference in Sparks, Nev., last week, Armey offered this blunt comment to the Reno Gazette-Journal: "I don't see any way that Hillary Clinton won't be president. She is more well-organized, she is more intelligent" than any of her possible Republican opponents.

A host of Republicans have been saying they anticipate that Clinton ...

aywill be the Democratic presidential nominee. But usually, as President Bush did in a recent interview, they add the caveat that the GOP contender (whomever that might end up being) will win the general election.

These Republicans insist, at least for public consumption, that the prospect of another Clinton administration will unify and galvanize what at the moment seems a dispirited and fractured GOP base. That argument, of course, ignores the extent to which Democrats in general and Clinton supporters in particular will correspondingly flock to her cause.

Armey, in his comments on Clinton, went on to say: "I don't admire her. But I don't discount her ability. She is ruthless, and she is tough."

She also, apparently, has achieved a preternatural calm as she pursues the Oval Office. The Times' Mark Barabak was with the campaign as Clinton traipsed across Iowa last week, and he offers this vivid detail: "She never seems to perspire, not even inside the swine barn at the Johnson County fairground, where 2,000 Democrats fanned themselves and her presidential rival John Edwards emerged with hair dripping and his collar drenched. Clinton, the last of five Democratic hopefuls to speak at the barbecue, never shed her black pinstripe jacket."

The rest of Barabak's piece is not likely to cause Armey to revise his prediction.

-- Don Frederick

Comments

[Chris T.]

Hillary Clinton is the one candidate, which could together with female politicians and prime ministers in Europe lead the two continents politically into the 21st century. The political consensus between the people of the USA and Europe is strong, however the current president does not seem to worry enough about a peacefull cohabitation of the various religions and people of the world or simply to listen to what the american people really want. For example political measures to counter act and reduce the causes of climate change; an exit strategy from the fossil fuel economy.
It almost reminds me at real estate agents trying to down play the dramatic situation of the housing market. Now many people are facing the negative consequences.

[vwcat]

I would not support or vote for hillary if she was the last democrat in the country.
however, seeing that she is more republican than democrat, I doubt that could ever happen. But, she may be in a sparse party since I know alot of dems threatening to leave the party if she is the nominee.
And I am sick of the media helping her and keeping up the cheerleading while either ignoring or trashing the other democratic candidates who are so superior to the corrupt one.