254 words posted by Simon on 4 January 2008
Hillary Clinton: Shapeshift, modified under licenceSuggestions abound in the blogosphere that Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign is ‘toast’ after coming third in the Iowa caucus.
I’m no expert on US politics, but I don’t see how you can write off a candidate who is nationally polling at 41%, versus a nearest rival at 24%. Clinton’s even leading by 6% over Obama in New Hampshire, so perhaps the results from Iowa mean less than many pundits suggests.
It’s mildly amusing that here in the UK, no-one really cares about the Republican candidates, to the extent that they weren’t even mentioned on one of the country’s biggest news bulletins last night. It’s hard to tell whether it’s because the nation is only interested in Clinton or because Bush has left us so disillusioned with the Republicans that we want to hear no more about the party…
I think either Clinton and Obama, as the two most likely Democratic candidates, would make a welcome change from Bush, who seems to have redefined the presidential role to achieve his own ends. Either would seem to provide a relatively level head in the White House – something that appears to have been missing for a while.
As for the Republicans… Meh, I have no idea… Who the hell is Huckabee?
But watching such a close race between seemingly good Democratic candidates is very exciting, and now I’ve started reading more about it, I’m becoming more and more addicted. It’s like The West Wing – but in real life! Well, almost.