Gary Hart knows a thing or two about the realities of the rough-and-tumble world of politics. He's survived the "monkey business" scandal of the 1988 race for the Democratic presidential nomination to become a respected elder statesmen in the country. And he's now joining the growing chorus of people who believe Hillary Clinton has crossed the line with some of her recent campaign tactics. In a commentary he wrote for the Huffington Post last Friday, Hart blasts Hillary for breaking the "final rule" of politics.
Hart pulls no punches in describing how damaging Hillary's actions have been for the Democractic party, and how her own personal ambitions rule above everything else. He starts off by noting that there are, in fact, many rules in politics, although many of them are unwritten and "based on common understandings, acceptable practices, and the best interest of the political party a candidate seeks to lead." And Hillary has broken what Hart calls the "final rule":
One of those rules is this: Do not provide ammunition to the opposition party that can be used to destroy your party's nominee. This is a hyper-truth where the presidential contest is concerned.
By saying that only she and John McCain are qualified to lead the country, particularly in times of crisis, Hillary Clinton has broken that rule, severely damaged the Democratic candidate who may well be the party's nominee, and, perhaps most ominously, revealed the unlimited lengths to which she will go to achieve power. She has essentially said that the Democratic party deserves to lose unless it nominates her.
I can't recall any other political candidate, at least not a leading candidate for president, that has been willing to put their own political ambitions ahead of their own political party. Clearly politicians have to be "tough" and have to be able to fight with the best of them. But Hart is emphatic in noting that what Hillary is doing is NOT politics:
As a veteran of red telephone ads and "where's the beef" cleverness, I am keenly aware that sharp elbows get thrown by those trailing in the fourth quarter (and sometimes even earlier). "Politics ain't beanbag," is the old slogan. But that does not mean that it must also be rule-or-ruin, me-first-and-only-me, my way or the highway. That is not politics. That is raw, unrestrained ambition for power that cannot accept the will of the voters.
Hart goes on to note that Hillary's willingness to put her own personal ambitions above what is best for her own Democratic party raises a valid question about whether she would do the same in the White House and thus not be able to do what's best for the country if it conflicts with what's best for her:
If Mrs. Clinton loses the nomination, her failure will be traced to the date she voted to empower George W. Bush to invade Iraq. That is not the kind of judgment, or wisdom, required by the leader answering the phone in the night. For her now to claim that Senator Obama is not qualified to answer the crisis phone is the height of irony if not chutzpah, and calls into question whether her primary loyalty is to the Democratic party and the nation or to her own ambition.
According to Wikipedia, Hart would be a considered a candidate for Director of National Intelligence if a Democrat wins the White House this year. So perhaps it's significant that he's willing to call out Hillary so strongly and mostly likely nix his chances for that post should she somehow manage to snatch the nomination. Regardless, I found it encouraging that notable folks far beyond dkos-ville are as appalled as many of us kossacks are by Hillary's party-crushing tactics. Here's hoping we can put a stop to her Blind Ambition Tour.