Hmm, Hillary Clinton ducks chance to attack new GOP star Sarah Palin

A very interesting thing didn't happen Saturday.

Appearing at a labor rally and stumping for congressional candidates in New York, Sen. Hillary Clinton uttered her most popular line from the recent Democratic National Convention in Denver: "No Way. No how. No McCain." This time she added, "No Palin."

But despite some soft lobs by media with her, that's as far as the female candidate who got closer to a major party's top nomination than any other in American history would go in criticizing Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the first female top-ticket member in Republican Party history.

Despite continued grumbling among her supporters about a less than diligent effort by the Barack Obama crowd to help the New York senator retire her immense campaign debts, Clinton has been living up to her promise to fundraise and campaign for the Democratic ticket all over.

She has repeated the "No way. No how" line about John McCain many times and warned against four more....

...years of a Bush-like administration.

But she's been very careful to avoid saying harsh things against her good friend from Arizona, who was among the first to welcome and show the former first lady around the old-boys club of the Senate on her arrival in 2001.

In fact, during last winter-spring's Democratic primary campaigns, Clinton lavished considerable praise on McCain for the lifetime of experience he would bring to the White House while Obama, she said dismissively, only "has a speech he gave in 2002."

On Saturday in New York, reporters eager for a story about a fight between the two female politicians set Clinton up several times to take easy swings at the 44-year-old reform governor, who blew away the Republican National Convention crowd with her speech Wednesday night about her running mate, her own life and some mocking views of Obama.

But Clinton would not bite. Or swing. Not once.

"This election is about issues, and that’s what’s going to matter to people at the end of the day," was all that Clinton would say. This despite the obviously powerful fears that Palin has engendered among many Democrats conducting nonstop, massive behind-the-scenes efforts to smear Palin's reputation and plant negative stories in the media, with some success.

Intriguing to wonder why Clinton wouldn't say more.

Why do you think? Gender solidarity? Friendship for McCain despite their disagreements? A sign of waning enthusiasm for her own party's ticket? So much joy over the New York Giants defeat of the Washington Redskins in the NFL opener Thursday night?

--Andrew Malcolm

Photo credits: Associated Press

Hey, all you new Ticket readers, to get breaking news alerts like this and all the regular Ticket items all day and night sent directly to to your cell, go here and click follow free. (Veteran Ticket readers also welcome, of course.)

Comments

[JIM]

if Clinton wants help then she has to give help, I am waiting to see howmujch she helps obana then i will give toi her to reduce her debt. If she doesn;t do more then she has then I won;t give. There is no reason why we should not win this eletion especialoly with clinton's help. SO come on Mrs. clinton and Mr. Clinton Get on the wagon and I assure you you will see a lot more money coming your way;

[Felix]

Hillary Clinton is a classy lady. She has no need to get drawn into political mud with Palin. Palin's own views will get her into trouble (i.e. creationism, homophobia, anti-abortion, censorship, calling the Iraq war a "holy war", etc.). The question is, when is Sarah Palin going to answer any questions other than who her favorite hockey team is? A town of 9,000 people and running a failed carwash counts as experience? Give us a break, this "pit bull" is actually a poodle.

[Paula]

Mocking and smearing Palin is great entertainment, but it accomplishes nothing. Remember that Barack and HIllary are out to get the blue-collar female vote for the Dems in November. Those voters are not going to be impressed by intellectual snide-swipes -- they want to hear about jobs, medical insurance, gas prices, etc. Plus, Obama clearly told his peeps not to engage in personal attacks.

[Steve]

Hillary is keeping the issues at the forefront, contrasting the new ideas and solutions of an Obama presidency with 4 more years of failed ideas that would be a McCain presidency. Obama has refused to lower this important election to personal attacks, and Hillary is following suit. Let the GOP roll around in the mud all they want - America is tired of Karl Rove politics...

[dude1394]

The media line that she's not supporting Obama is because she's not supporting Obama as hard as they are. They don't think she's doing enough so they try to prod her to do so.

[Jay]

Non story, but apparently the Clinton's are still supposed to act like Hillary is the nominee. Barack and Biden are. She's campaigning, not sure what the problem is. That Saturday stop wasn't even about the presidential race for goodness sakes.

[Bill Mitchell]

This is an easy one. Hillary wants Obama to lose so she can run again in 2012.

[floridagal]

Sen Clinton was smart. As a feminist, she may admire Gov Palin's accomplishments in obtaining public office while raising a large family, but as a liberal she will disagree on the issues. Gov Palin is to the far right esp regarding no abortions even in the case of rape or incest; she is supportive of teaching creationism in school and wanting to ban books in libraries.

What is a better question, is why the Republican party, along w/ Rush L. and others, are now are for a mother of five working not only outside the home but possibly being VP?

[Linda]

I disagree. This is, indeed, a story. Look, in order to win, Obama-Biden have to make a compelling case, and put forward substantive proposals as a ticket. Details. They have to sway public opinion. The novelty has worn off. History will be made, whether the 1st African-American president is elected in November, or the 1st female vice-president is elected in November.

I almost blew a gasket when, on the day of McCain's acceptance speech to the Republican Nat'l Convention, Obama, in an interview with Bill O'Reilly, said the surge has succeeded beyond our wildest dreams. Good grief! He walked right into that. He handed the Republicans a clip that will be used relentlessly to argue that Obama doesn't know what he's doing, and changes his mind too much.

He was against it before he was for it! ~ that's how the Republicans sandbagged John Kerry. The Dems should have been ready for that. It was a tactical blunder on Obama's part. It's fine for him to admit that the surge is working. But not in the language he used, and not with O'Reilly, an arch-conservative commentator, and not on the DAY of McCain's acceptance speech. That was stupid. A campaign requires tactics and strategy. It's not just about what you believe intellectually. If Senator Obama doesn't figure that out and make tactical adjustments, he's going to achieve the same results as another Illinois politician, Adlai Stevenson. Smart guy. Thoughtful guy. Limited national momentum.

Don't get me wrong. I loved Obama's acceptance speech. But it's going to take more than that speech to win the election.

[Mark Conlan]

The "Hillary vs. Obama" story is such a good one it's obvious Andrew Malcolm isn't going to let the facts get in the way of it. There are plenty of legitimate criticisms to be made of McCain, Palin and the party and policies they represent without playing the game of "gotcha" politics the media love. Hillary and her husband were the principal targets of one of the most vicious concerted series of personal attacks ever leveled in American personal history — reason enough for them to want to support their party and their party's nominee without putting anybody else through that.

[Susan]

She's doing whats smart and the rest of the Democrats should follow her lead. The way to win is on the issues.
Making personal attacks on Palin is a waste of time because she's likeable and feeds on controversy.

[Max]

Isn't this why 50% of the Democrats don't trust the Clintons? You can't depend on them to help the ticket..especially if they're not the star.

[Maria]

She knows that we must win on the issues worth fighting for.

[Mamie]

The Obama campaign smeared Hillary with stories planted all over liberal websites (Huffingtonpost, Daily Kos, etc.) and now they are smearing Sarah Palin. Obama was supposed to be all about the 'new politics' where personal attacks were unacceptable - and then they tried to demolish Hillary and now they're demolishing Sarah Palin.

If Hillary does more than the strict minimum for Obama then she is truly a magnanimous person - and I don't think she is. In her shoes, I wouldn't be.

[VJ Machiavelli]

Maybe she is turning into a "GOLDWATER GIRL" again or a McCain GIRL" she knows that if she went after Sarah the "New Republican Terminator" she would be "TERMINATED" on the spot.

Or maybe McCain will ask her to serve in his cabinet at a dollar a year. She and BILL are "RICH"

VJ Machiavelli
http://www.vjmachiavelli.blogspot.com

[greylox]

**Nice try. Poor republicans. Trying to blame the dems for McCain's poor choice. All the "rumors" going around about Palin seem to have more than a whiff of truth about them. Suck it up, republicans. You own a lipstick wearing celebrity who's about as much of a reformer as McCain.

[Scy]

*shrug* Pretty meaningless one way or the other. The press really tries to hard to read much in every little thing a candidate does.

[Jasb]

Hillary would be a fool to go negative against Palin. The democrats, through limitless hubris and unreal idealism, lost this election on their own. Perhaps if the O'Bama campaign had not run such a sexist and "reverse racist" campaign it might have been different. All Hillary can do is smear her own name and women's rights in general. Take the high road Hillary.

[Hollywood Dodger Mark]

Omigod, Now Joe Lieberman is teaching the Palin woman about geo-politics. Read about here:
http://www.crooksandliars.com/2008/09/07/palin-getting-tutored-in-neocon-101-by-professor-lieberman/

[Chris]

It makes sense to say as little as possible about Palin...the point of Palin on the ticket is to provide distraction from the terrible enviroment for the GOP....the key here is "the ecomony stupid" and repeating: Bush/McCain.

The point is Hillary is out there saying it.

[S]

I think Obama can do his own dirty work and fight his own battles..he has used Hillary Clinton enough...

Hillary is a sophisticated, smart, dignified woman and a Senator who is working for to help other Dems get elected and is too busy to get into silly cat fights for Obama...He can send the same women he sent out to attack Hillary to go after Palin...

...Hillary has gone above and beyond for the Obama campaign...enough already!

[Chris]

Bob:

No, they don't. But Hilary and Bill owe the Dems and this country, helping to avert another shoot-from-the -hip crazy four years.

McCain vetted Palin about as well as he vetted the iraq War: see Frank Rich for details.

Chris

[mudlark]

Why should Hillary Clinton be Obama's attack dog? If Obama had picked Hillary for VP (a job that she is way over-qualified for), Sarah Palin would not be on McCain's ticket. But Obama let his personal dislike of Hillary cloud his choice.

Too bad. Stop whining, Obamacans, for once your hero is going to have to save himself.

[hillarygate]

Why isn't Hillary or her husband banding together on their website against Pailin and instead asking for donations? Is she a Lieberman in a skirt? The GOP was smart to choose an extreme causian that practically fit the descriptions of Mr. O and Ms. H.... they were clever indeed but Hillary needs to speak up and where is Pelosi in all this as well as the other so called female politicians - probably waiting to politicize at the right moment - but don't wait too long ladies.

[Vegas]

Palin isn't really worthy of her attack. She's number 2 on the ticket, not the top.

Hmm, Palin misses out on chances to talk with the press. I guess she's too busy with her "Hooked on Politics/Foreign Policy 101" crash course. It won't help. Things change all the time. World and domestic events are subject to change at a moments notice and you can't go hide and read for weeks on end without making a statement of showing your face and giving your thoughts on a matter. Domestic and world events are not Math, they aren't forever the same, things change. Obama and Biden are ready. They don't need the manual anymore. They can change with the circumstances. They can deal with anyone, anytime, any place, anywhere. Palin can't do that. She can't even talk to the enamored media right now, while no one's even slamming her. They're in the honeymoon phase and even so, she's running. She's just a gimmick. A Trojan Horse. They republicans plan on riding it to the White House and when they get there they will open it up and all the Bush policies will fall out. No health care. No women's right to choose, so that sets women back a few hundred years. Palin is a woman in the sense that she goes potty the same way I do, it ends there. Palin is Dick Cheney in a skirt. She's a good ol' boy with a vagina.

McCain is offeringa hungry America a nice shiny new bright red apple. But upon inspection, the apple is rotten and it has worm in it. That worm is Sarah Palin.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IR6LX7CobEU
Can Sarah come out and play?