Kristoff is Right and Wrong

In his NYT Column today, Nicholas Kristoff managed to hit on exactly the reasons why Hillary Clinton would probably lose if she were to run for president. Unfortunately, Mr. Kristoff failed to recognize these reasons for what they are.

Mr. Kristoff noted that the Senator from N.Y. has recently been outspoken on her religious faith, hawkish on defense and more middle of the road on abortion. He cited these as all the right reasons why she might be a potentially viable candidate. He then listed several additional thoughts on why she could never win. Mainly that those living in rural areas are not likely to vote for a female New Yorker.

What Mr. Kristoff either ignored or did not grasp was that Mrs. Clinton's ideological shifts have taken place since talk that she will run for president has picked up. This places her firmly in the same camp as her husband. She is a political chameleon who will say anything, adopt any position and accept any change of heart necessary to strike a chord with a certain demographic in order to gain votes.

In her eyes a religious man has won the presidency twice, so she will become outspoken on her faith, something that had not happened before. The country supports the war in Iraq and against terror, so her rhetoric now becomes hawkish to reflect that trend. The same holds true for abortion. Bill Clinton famously and successfully walked the line between the two abortion camps and gained votes and now she is taking the same action.

In short, Mrs. Clinton is totally unbelievable, which is saying a lot for any politician, and the American people will take note. If the general population does not notice her massive flip flops and policy changes, her opponents will certainly bring it to their attention.