Hillary's mistake

Eugene Robinson:

One assumes that Hillary Clinton and her inner circle are rethinking their new strategy of singling out Barack Obama and attacking him on issues of experience, ambition and character. Of course, the first thing a rookie reporter learns is that one should never assume anything; if people were predictable, there would be no news. So maybe the self-inflicted bloodletting will continue.

Clinton was doing fine in the role of presumptive nominee -- serene of mind, generous of spirit, miles above the fray. Her authoritative voice and presidential bearing telegraphed that Obama, John Edwards and the rest of the Democratic contenders were all, essentially, just members of her supporting cast. It was only natural that they would attack her, since she was so far ahead in the polls. To respond in kind would have been beneath her.

But when those polls began to tighten -- as was practically inevitable, given how big Clinton's lead has been -- the Clinton campaign made two decisions that I'm still trying to figure out. Both seem risky, if not rash, and so far neither is really working.

The first was to elevate Obama to the role of co-star. Granted, this reflects the reality of the contest -- Obama is the one who's gaining on Clinton. The daily Rasmussen Reports tracking poll said yesterday that 33 percent of Democrats nationwide support Clinton and 26 percent support Obama. For most of the campaign, Clinton has enjoyed double-digit leads.

But she's still ahead by seven points, which would generally be considered a comfortable lead -- less comfortable when it's shrinking than when it's growing, to be sure, but still a big hill for Obama to climb. And in Iowa, the state that goes first, Edwards could still win or finish second in what remains a fluid three-way contest.

Clinton's decision to concentrate her fire on Obama threatens to turn him into the anti-Clinton. No candidate with negative ratings as high as Clinton's has an interest in signaling to voters who don't like her that there's one candidate to whom they might want to rally.

...

Robinson later drifts off into liberal nonsense on health care, but his point about the attacks elevating Obama is sound. the silly attack on his kindergarten "essay" made her look silly and petty. That is why she later called it a joke, but if it was her timing was as botched as John Kerry's.