Opinion: Clinton’s brain trust decamps, joyfully
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US Airways flight 1159 from Manchester, N.H., to D.C. this morning truly was carrying a special cargo -- a hefty hunk of the suddenly ebullient Hillary Clinton brain trust.
Those operating on little, if any, sleep to make the 6 a.m. (EST) departure time included campaign chairman Terry McAuliffe, ad guru Mandy Grunwald, longtime advisor Harold Ickes, longtime aide Ann Lewis and -- practically beaming as he made his way down the aisle in coach -- Mark Penn. That would be the chief strategist who, if New Hampshire’s Democratic presidential primary had turned out the way polls predicted, some thought might be out of a job.
The primary, of course, delivered a wonderful surprise for the Clintonites, and Penn’s visage matched the mood on board. It was too early for much chatter, but there were wide smiles aplenty. Lewis was heard to remark that the tough wins are the most satisfying.
McAuliffe, expansive under most circumstances, was especially so as he chatted with reporters after deplaning. He also seemed ...
still slightly stunned, noting that he had spent much of Tuesday -- before the actual votes started rolling in -- parrying questions about whether Clinton would drop out if Barack Obama waxed her in New Hampshire by 15 percentage points or so. (Clinton’s victory margin, with almost all ballots counted, was 3 points.)
Penn wandered by -- McAuliffe had traveled business class, so they hadn’t rubbed elbows during the flight -- and reporters asked how he was doing. Before the strategist could respond, McAuliffe couldn’t resist a crack, saying Penn was ‘just getting the knives out of his back.’
Nothing was going to shake Penn’s good mood; he kept beaming. But he isn’t taking anything for granted. (Those days are presumably gone for the Clinton campaign in general.) With the Nevada caucuses, a crucial South Carolina primary and the raft of Feb. 5 contests looming (including California), he said his plans for the day were simple: ‘Shower and work.’
-- Don Frederick