So Now Hillary Sounds Like Rush Limbaugh

Comparing Hillary Clinton to Rush Limbaugh has to rank as one of the great non sequiturs of all time. In the vast universe of American politics, to make such a comparison, one would probably have to be from another universe. Of course, that particular comparison was made by Cindy Sheehan, whom we’ve all believed to be from another planet, anyway.

The so-called “peace mom” made this comparison recently in a letter that was posted on Michael Moore’s website. It seems that Hillary must not “have listened” to Sheehan during a recent meeting between the two. Cindy knows this because Hillary later told The Village Voice, “My bottom line is that I don't want their sons to die in vain. ... I don't believe it's smart to set a date for withdrawal. ... I don't think it's the right time to withdraw.” So Woodstock Cindy, in a bit of a snit, says "That sounds like Rush Limbaugh to me. That doesn't sound like an opposition party leader speaking to me. What Sen. Clinton said after our meeting sounds exactly like the Republican Party talking points I heard from Senators Dole and McCain.” Give Sheehan credit for testicular fortitude, if not for lucidity. She has just publicly taken on a Clinton, what many would consider treacherous ground.

Or is it? Perhaps this is what Senator Clinton actually wants. Hillary is going to run for the Presidency in 2008 – she knows it, the producers of Commander In Chief know it and the voters know it as well. Hillary continues to play cat and mouse over the issue and the mainstream media continue to fawn over the very real possibility of a national election featuring a Clinton.

In her quest for the prize however, Hillary still has much PR work to do. She is perceived negatively by a very large percentage of the public, for several reasons, not the least of which is that she is a staunch liberal. The woman who conducted secret meetings during her husband’s first term in office in an attempt to “give” us nationalized health care, must now be seen by a large number of swing voters as being “moderate”, in order to capture the prize. What better way than to be pilloried (sounds like a great headline – “Hillary pilloried”), by a card-carrying member of the loony left?

The nutty anti-war crowd that joined up with Cindy Sheehan on her quest to Crawford, Texas is seen (and rightfully so), by the public as a bunch of kooks and extremists. What better way to look like you are in reality pro-military and pro-America, than to have the likes of Sheehan and her ragtag group of aging 60’s hippie radicals claiming that you are a “war hawk”? For that is how Sheehan described Clinton in the previously mentioned letter. “I think she is a political animal who believes she has to be a war hawk to keep up with the big boys”, whined Cindy.

The irony is that Cindy is right – at least in the sense that she knows that Hillary is playing a political game. Mrs. Clinton knows that in order to be elected, she cannot afford to be seen as weak on terrorism, or soft on defense. She is trying to have it both ways, naturally – speaking on the one hand in favor of the Iraq mission, and bashing Bush on the other for the way it has been handled. Hillary may not be as adept at tap dancing around the issues as Bill, but she is sure to be getting plenty of expert coaching over the next two years to improve her agility. Lest we forget, Bill Clinton wasn’t known as “Slick Willie” for nothin’!

Perception is, as often noted, more important than reality. In an alternate universe, Hillary is now too “conservative” for the far left – a “war hawk”. By being labeled this way by Sheehan and her followers, she may actually start to seem conservative or moderate to the casual observer – which is exactly what Hillary wants and needs in order to become president.

When people like Cindy Sheehan start saying that Hillary Clinton sounds like Rush Limbaugh, we know that the race for ’08 has begun.

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