Once again, a Clinton is giving the Republicans fits. Karl Rove, presumably tired of fending off Congressional investigations into possible criminal activity, lashed out at Hillary Clinton yesterday, and the Clinton campaign responded immediately.
This morning's New York Times has the story:
Rove Steps Up His Attacks on Clinton’s Candidacy
By PATRICK HEALY
Karl Rove intensified his attack on Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton yesterday, saying she lacked the vision to be president while saying she was "so weak" on national security and support for the armed forces.
Mr. Rove, President Bush’s political adviser, has been criticizing Mrs. Clinton since Monday, when he announced his intention to resign from the White House and coupled it with candid analysis, notably, calling Mrs. Clinton a "fatally flawed" presidential candidate.
Rove's smears are completely out of touch with reality. As First Lady and the first member of the Senate Armed Services Committee from New York, Hillary has witnessed firsthand the courage and honor of American troops and has been a relentless advocate for veterans and for the men and women currently serving in our military.
To fulfill our promises to the nation's veterans, Hillary has proposed:
* Fully funding our veterans' health care system and providing intensive care for vets suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injuries.
* Reducing the red tape our wounded service members and veterans face.
* Increasing pay and benefits for our troops and their families.
* Expanding educational benefits for those who serve.
* Providing support and assistance for the children, spouses, and families of those troops who make the ultimate sacrifice for our country.
Where has Karl Rove and George Bush been on these issues? I'm sure they'd love America to forget all about Walter Reed, all about the troops' lack of proper body armor, and sub-par pay and benefits.
Rove went on Rush Limbaugh's radio show to spew his bile:
Mr. Rove gave two high-profile interviews yesterday, on Rush Limbaugh’s radio program and to Reuters, essentially delivering the same message: that Mrs. Clinton had opposed Republican efforts to overhaul health care and expand medical benefits to more Americans and that she had opposed the USA Patriot Act, domestic surveillance programs and other antiterrorism measures.
"Look, she is who she is," Mr. Rove said on Mr. Limbaugh’s syndicated program. "There is no front-runner who has entered the primary season with negatives as high as she has in the history of modern polling.
"She’s going into the general election with, depending on what poll you look at, in the high 40s on the negative side and just below that on the positive side. And there’s nobody who has ever won the presidency who started out in that kind of position."
The response from the Clinton campaign was quick and direct:
Mrs. Clinton, campaigning yesterday in Iowa, inserted a retort into her prepared remarks for the Iowa Federation of Labor, A.F.L.-C.I.O. Convention Presidential Forum. "I feel so lucky that I am now giving them such heartburn," she said.
She went on to criticize Mr. Rove and other Republicans for describing her support for universal health care as equivalent to, in her words, supporting "socialized medicine."
"That’s just an absolute falsehood," Mrs. Clinton said. "What we want is to get the costs down, the quality up, and cover everybody. And I think we can do that."
What Karl Rove and Hillary's other opponents conveniently forget is that Hillary has been fighting for real change for the last 15 years. When you fight for real change, the Republican attack machine goes into full force. The fact is that ANY Democrat nominated by the Democratic Party will be attacked and attacked viciously, relentlessly, dishonorably, and unfairly. But Hillary will fight and fight effectively. Hillary will not be a rehash of Kerry/Edwards, and get swiftboated and then wait weeks to respond. The Clintons literally invented "rapid response," during the 1992 campaign, and Hillary knows how to defend her ideals better than anyone.
The Republicans are worried and discouraged. They know Hillary will unite the Democratic Party and run an intelligent and effective and successful campaign.