MAD Dems

MAD (Mutually Assured Destruction) Dems. Michael Hirsh, Newsweek:

Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama show few signs that they're aware of it, but the general election campaign has already begun. And appropriately for the eve of St. Patrick's Day, the pair have begun to destroy each other like the two crazy Irish cats of Kilkenny. The upshot is that both of them are already losing the general to John McCain. By the time the Democratic convention rolls around in August and the nomination is finally awarded, the battle may already be over.

Top o' the mornin' to ya!

UPDATE: Naomi Wolf plumbs the depths. For shame. Remember this. And note this.

UPDATE: It's WWI! Senseless trench warfare with great loss of life. Down to the superdelegates. At the convention. Very Democratic. But maybe there's hope for Hillary.The Politico:

Primaries and superdelegate strategy aside, the last best hope of the Clinton campaign is a serious unforced error.

“She’s hoping for a whopper of a mistake,” is how Jordan puts it.

Such a major gaffe or revelation could be a game-changer, and it's more likely to occur now than ever before because of the increased daily scrutiny of Obama.

“Cumulatively, the question now will be: Is there any risk associated with nominating Barack Obama?” observed political analyst Charlie Cook. “We’re very cognizant of the downside of what a Clinton nomination would be. The next couple of months will be about Clinton arguing what” the downside of an Obama nomination would be.

The Chicago papers pretty much give Obama a pass, now that he's talked to them, with the exception of Tribune columnist and political sage John Kass. Tom Bevan, RCP Blog asks, Mission Accomplished?

Axelrod the ad man for Obama vs. Penn the pollster for Hillary, profiled by the NY Times. On Chicago's Axelrod:

Axelrod’s essential insight — the idea that has made him successful where others might have failed — is that the modern campaign really isn’t about the policy arcana or the candidate’s record; it’s about a more visceral, more personal narrative.

But is narrative alone enough for a presidential candidate? Doesn't it invite more questions? And how could an experienced ad man have allowed this? Unless he was overruled by the candidate?

UPDATE: Oh yeah, saw this this morning--Obama has yet to appear on FoxNews as promised. Not want to face a smart, real professional journalist, eh Barack?

Related posts: Ask Bruce, Yes We Can