Hillary: The Bitch Factor

Joan Vennochi complains about efforts by hardcore supporters to lock up the 08 Democratic Presidential nomination for Hillary Clinton, pointing out that the Republicans would go to town on Hillary with their tested methods of turning Democratic candidates into caricatures. Thanks to Republicans, Hillary is already perceived by millions as a castrating bitch. Why make it easy for the Rove-ites? At any rate, how could Hillary possibly win over swing voters with her baggage?

I, too, was among the Hillary-doubters, until I realized that Hillary could be, in the current environment, the candidate least vulnerable to the classic Republican assault. Don't forget that Hillary has already withstood more than a decade of abuse from right-wing media hooligans, who've accused her of, among other things, abetting the murder of Vince Foster. Where else can you go from there? Unlike Kerry last year or even Gore in 2000, Hillary's very well-defined in the public imagination.

Well, you say, how does that help if the Republicans have already done their job: people won't vote for her because they simply don't like her. Not so fast! There is a very fine (perhaps non-existent) line between a castrating bitch and an "Iron Lady" like Margaret Thatcher, and we may be underestimating how quickly Hillary could come to be seen as a foreign-policy ass-kicker. After 9/11, a castrating bitch is precisely what America needs. "Hillary is our castrating bitch, and she's going to castrate the terrorists!"

If seen as America's Iron Lady, Hillary would be a very effective Presidential candidate for the Democrats, who are always derided as flip-floppers and wafflers and are perceived as not tough enough on terrorism. Even more, with bitch credentials already in the bag, Hillary can afford to soften her image, attracting swing voters who may not have liked her before, but are willing to take another look.