The joys of running against Hillary
...The focus on Clinton is just a way of focusing on how bad the Democrat policies are that she and the other candidates support. The so called Hillary bashing is nothing in comparison too the visceral hatred spewed by Democrat candidates toward President Bush in 2004 and even today. Unfortunately he did not fight back against these attacks as aggressively as he should have and Republicans have been left to just take abuse about "lying us into war" and "Iraq is a disaster" without any counter attack. The jibes and ridicule facing Clinton now are very mild in comparison and they are hard hitting only because they are true."The competition inside the GOP for who's the most anti-Hillary is going to pay dividends," said Greg Strimple, a GOP pollster and consultant who is not working with any presidential campaign. "Looking for that piece of anti-Hillary energy is what you're seeing right now."
The attacks have come during the GOP debates, on the stump, in television interviews, and in campaign commercials traditionally reserved for criticism of primary-season rivals.
In an ad unveiled yesterday, Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) again criticizes Clinton for seeking $1 million for a Woodstock museum. An ad from former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney airing now in New Hampshire slams her for having "not run a corner store" and adds: "She hasn't run a state. . . . She has never run anything."
In the first five GOP debates, stretching from early May to late September, the candidates and the moderators mentioned Clinton's name eight times. During the first October debate, she came up 13 times. And at the Oct. 21 debate, she was the subject of conversation 29 times.
"You know, it's interesting, the most, I guess, wonderful reaction we've had in this entire room is when Hillary's name is mentioned," noted former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee that night. "It gets louder than an Aerosmith concert."
With less than two months until voting begins, the Democratic front-runner has become a target for rivals in her own party as well, prompting her husband, the former president, to accuse them of "Swift boat"-style piling-on during the latest debate.
One moment, Giuliani is sarcastically mocking Clinton for her wavering answer on whether illegal immigrants should get driver's licenses. "First, put up your hands and tell me what you think, and then I'll tell you what I think," he said last week, mimicking Clinton. "I'm for it. I'm against it. I'm for it and against it. And I want to be your president."
At Halloween, Romney found his inner comedian, describing "Hillary's House of Horrors" and joking -- sort of -- that "you go in one room, she wants to raise your taxes. You go in another room and she wants to have government taking over health care."
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The Republican White House hopefuls appear unmoved by charges that a bunch of men are being nasty to a woman. If anything, Bill Clinton's defense of his wife -- "these boys have been getting tough on her" -- has fired up the Republicans even more.
"You are the leader of the free world. You can't be a victim," said Kevin Madden, a spokesman for Romney. "You have to be a leader. Voters will be less likely to let her play a victim card."
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