For a long time I'd been one of those professional Democratic women who was against Hillary making a run for the presidency, because I feared she'd be 'a spoiler.' The incompetence our political system fosters has changed my mind.
Calling someone 'political' is smearing them, and yet with our democracy anyone who rises above the mere political shows an incompetence at the level of the Bush incompetence in everything except getting elected. If Gore had been willing to be political he would have secured his win. Some of our politicians seem to suffer from a Mr. Smith Goes to Washington complex, they'd rather lose than sink to practicalities. This head-in-the-sand position has brought us George Bush, and if it persists it could bring us his follow-up act, a McCain, by any measure a follow-up disaster for working Americans.
There is one politician who is taking political to the level of professionalism, who is not too proud to do her best to win. Hillary isn't making personal enemies on capital hill, and she's getting experience. She's holding back what she says in public because she doesn't underestimate the Rovian freak-em ploy, she's not sacrificing electability by being goaded into jumping into someone else's fire. We all need to remember that if Gore had been elected there never would have been a vote on giving Bush permission to invade Iraq, no one but Bush would have been so reckless with our kids lives over a country that did us no harm. I think Hillary will continue to be smart, a whole lot of professionals will join her campaign, and we'll get a sane and helpful government.