According to Fox News, Hillary Clinton's latest speech has led to speculation that she may be planning a run for the Presidency in 2008. This is news? I can't speak for anyone else, but I've been quite sure about Hillary's intentions ever since she chose to move to New York as part of her run for the Senate. It was clear to me that there was only one motivating factor behind her run for the Senate as a New Yorker, and it was equally clear that the reason had nothing to do with her love of New York or a desire to improve the quality of its citizens' lives.
Moving to New York was part of Hillary's master plan; you see, the Junior Senator from New York is going to have a much higher profile and gain much more press than the Junior Senator from Arkansas. Besides, it's easier to hobnob with the rich and famous when one lives a mere hour or two from the Big Apple than it is when one lives in Tornado Alley.
What concerns me - and concerns me greatly - about a Hillary Clinton run for the Presidency is the fear that she might actually win. Like them or not, we have to admit that the Clintons are top-notch politicians (in the ugliest possible sense of the word); they have the ability to morph themselves into whatever the voting public wants. Above all, they're still perceived as somewhat young and hip (why these are attributes anyone would want in the leader of the Free World is beyond me). She'd get votes, people; there's no doubt about it.
We conservatives need to start our planning now, as well. I'm a big fan of Rudy Giuliani, but I fear that his star will have faded enough by 2008 that he might not be a feasible candidate. So, what do you think? Who have we got in the pipeline? Who can provide the same level of intensity and charisma as the Clintonista? Who do you think we need to get positioned to beat her in 2008? Alternatively, do you think that all this speculation is hogwash? Is she even going to run? If not Hillary, then who? If not 2008, then when?
