What's wrong with Hillary

I want to recomend an interesting analysis written by prominent blogger Markos Moulitsas (of Daily Kos) about the political future (and past) of Hillary Clinton. It's entitled, "Hillary Clinton: Too Much of a Clinton Democrat?" and it's published in the Washington Post. Here are some key excerpts:

Hillary Clinton leads her Democratic rivals in the polls and in fundraising. Unfortunately, however, the New York senator is part of a failed Democratic Party establishment -- led by her husband -- that enabled the George W. Bush presidency and the Republican majorities, and all the havoc they have wreaked at home and abroad.
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Despite all his successes -- and eight years of peace and prosperity is nothing to sneeze at -- [Bill Clinton] never broke the 50-percent mark in his two elections. Regardless of the president's personal popularity, Democrats held fewer congressional seats at the end of his presidency than before it. The Democratic Party atrophied during his two terms, partly because of his fealty to his "third way" of politics, which neglected key parts of the progressive movement and reserved its outreach efforts for corporate and moneyed interests.
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Yet staying away from big ideas seems to come naturally to Hillary Clinton. Perhaps first lady Clinton was so scarred by her failed health-care reform in the early 1990s that now Sen. Clinton shows no proclivity for real leadership as a lawmaker

Afraid to offend, she has limited her policy proposals to minor, symbolic issues -- such as co-sponsoring legislation to ban flag burning. She doesn't have a single memorable policy or legislative accomplishment to her name. Meanwhile, she remains behind the curve or downright incoherent on pressing issues such as the war in Iraq.

On the war, Clinton's recent "I disagree with those who believe we should pull out, and I disagree with those who believe we should stay without end" seems little different from Kerry's famous "I actually did vote for the $87 billion before I voted against it" line. The last thing we need is yet another Democrat afraid to stand on principle.

I agree. I don't understand why we don't learn from the Republicans who are certainly successful at winning elections. They energize and affirm and lean to their base. Instead of leaning to our base, we stupidly lean to their base too. It drives me crazy! But of course, all this is moot unless we do something about election fraud. We can run the best candidate in the universe and as long as the Republicans are counting the votes, they will win.