Quotes From Around Yon Hillarysphere

As Hillary Clinton's lead over her Democratic rivals increases, I continue to be astounded by how easily Democrats are willing to support a Senator who for four years, supported this misguided war in Iraq. This is the same Hillary Clinton who criticized Russ Feingold for daring to suggest that we withdraw from Iraq back in 2005.

A hawk . . . A panderer . . . A political opportunist . . .

But a neocon?

That’s what libertarian Radley Balko argues in an article over at Reason. As he sees it, a Hillary Clinton presidency wouldn’t be all that different from a George W. Bush presidency, and he provides an account of some of the political positions taken by Senator Clinton that suggests a strong neoconservative streak in her.

Hillary Clinton may be loathed by leading neoconservatives and may loathe them in return. Yet they have more in common with each other than either of them would care to admit. As a U.S. Senator, Hillary Clinton has had seven years to lay out her political positions, and she hasn’t shied away from making speeches or meeting with constituents. But in the end, a politician is judged by how he/she exercises that unique power that distinguishes him/her from the rest of us–the power to vote for or against legislation. And on many of the most controversial and far-reaching pieces of legislation that have been passed these last seven years, Senator Clinton has voted the de-facto neoconservative position.

-- NICK RIVERA

There are a lot of similarities between Bill and Hillary Clinton and Richard Nixon, not least of which seems to be cheating even when you don’t have to do so in order to win.

-- PROFESSOR BAINBRIDGE

Everywhere she goes, Hillary Clinton asks voters to help her make history as the first woman president.

Yet Clinton is increasingly portraying herself more as motherly and traditional than as trailblazing and feminist, sometimes playing up the differences between men and women.

. . . Until now, Clinton had said little on the campaign trail about raising her daughter, Chelsea, now 27. But at the YWCA in Manchester on Tuesday, as she unveiled a $1 billion family leave proposal, she told story after story about baby Chelsea getting sick or crying inconsolably.

A day earlier on "The View," a daytime TV talk show aimed at female viewers, Clinton criticized people who focus on her haircut or clothes, yet she joked about the differences between her and her male rivals: "Well, look how much longer it takes me to get ready."

And at the AFL-CIO Democratic forum in Chicago in August, the most memorable moment was Clinton's buoyant declaration to the union faithful that if they wanted a winner, "I'm your girl."

Earlier in the campaign, she worked to solidify her credentials as a possible commander in chief, talking tough on national security. Her advisers said in interviews that they believe the New York senator has already demonstrated her strength and credibility on the issues, so she can afford to let her feminine side show.

. . . But analysts also see a political calculation: She is less popular among older, married women who are more likely to prefer a more traditional role for women. Clinton's focus on women this week was a bid to consolidate her support among female voters, who account for much of her lead in many polls.

-- MARCELLA BOMBARDIERI

The online survey of 9,718 likely voters nationwide showed that 50% said Clinton would never get their presidential vote. This is up from 46% who said they could never vote for Clinton in a Zogby International telephone survey conducted in early March. Older voters are most resistant to Clinton – 59% of those age 65 and older said they would never vote for the New York senator, but she is much more acceptable to younger voters: 42% of those age 18–29 said they would never vote for Clinton for President.

-- ZOGBY INTERNATIONAL