The First Lady got sort of a boost today from the right-wing Wall Street Journal'seditorial pages of all places. The Journal, which hounded both Clintons during their eight years in the White House, gave Hillary, who boasts of experience and foreign affairs savvy, a pass for not knowing the name of Russia's new president.
"Meh, um, Menedvadah--whatever" said Clinton at last week's debate when Tim Russert asked for the name of Russia's new "leader." Her slip, according to the Journal, "actually told a larger truth because, as Mrs. Clinton also put it, 'the decisions will be made by Putin.'" That's a sea change for the Journal. Rupert Murdoch's paper even paid tribute to Clinton by slugging that section of the editorial column, "President 'Whatever.'" Hillary got another unexpected peck from WSJ columnist John Fund, who wants Obama to "come clean" about his ties to Chicago real estate player Tony Resko, the subject of federal charges. Fund noted that Clinton held a White House press conference on Whitewater and cattle futures. He wants Obama to do the same, or those Resko ties "may increasingly haunt his candidacy." That's sound advice because Obama's dealings with Resko are not going to disappear before Nov. 4.
Washington Post's Howard Kurtz today noted that the Illinois' Senator hasn't "faced the sort of negative onslaught that generally envelopes presidential front-runners. But after a year of defying the laws of journalistic gravity, he is being brought back to earth."
Paul Krugman, resident liberal at the New York Times, wrote that Obama has been treated with kid gloves by the media. He has "not yet faced the hostile media treatment doled out to every Democratic presidential candidate since 1968."
Obama's time has now come. And not a second too soon for the still clinging-to-life Clinton Camp. Even if he sweeps Texas and Ohio tomorrow, Obama (and his supporters) need to toughen up because the media long knives need material to fill the huge time gap before the election in November. Right-wing knuckleheads making fun of Obama's middle name, Hussein, will be the least of the campaign's worries.
Obama owes a debt of gratitude to Hillary for pointing out that he has enjoyed a free ride up until now. Grizzled John McCain and the Republican slime machine await to make mince meat out of the nice young man and his lighter than air promise of "change."