These challengers are just running interference,just like Rhino did for McBride in Florida. IF Bubbette! decides to run,they will be swept aside like panhandlers. Remember Kerrey retiring from the Senate,moving to NY,and making "presidential campaign in 2004" noises? Remember how quickly a "witness" to him and his SEAL platoon comitting a war crime by shooting up a village of innocent women,children,and old men appeared,and how this was on all the news outlets for days? Remember how quickly BOTH the "witness" AND the news stories dissapeared once he said he wouldn't be running? Fact it,as a MOH winner,a former Governor,AND a former US Senator,he was serious danger to Bubbette!'s White House plans.
While it should be obvious that she still has her stolen FBI records (and a round of applause for Bubba Bush please,for insuring these records were returned,and she prosecuted for stealing them.)it is less obvious that those records are time-sensitive for blackmail or pressure purposes. As the people investigated die off or retire from gooberment service,their blackmail value lessens. When their power to imtimidate lessens,so does Bubbette!'s power. She may not have the power in 2008 that she has in 2004.
And the above doesn't even address the obvious fact that she and her husband control the DNC,and the DNC controls Dim candidate purse strings. If the DNC pulls their financial and political support,they have to drop out of the primary. The only exceptions would be people like Mass Kerry or Lieberman,who have enough money to finance their own campaigns. Even then,Bubbette! can no doubt dictate to them by threatening their friends and/or family if they themselves are immune from blackmail.
When you add up weak candidates,aging FBI files,and aging Bubbette!,she's going to run in 2004 if she has the slightest hope of winning. If she gets Colin Powell as her running mate as I have been predicting,she wins. She may even win if she has to fall back on running with John McCain. Remember,Bush-1 had a 90+ favorable poll rating and had just "won" a war with Iraq before he was defeated by a hillbilly from Arkansas who nobody thought had a chance. Also remember this same hillbilly beat Bob Dolt,even after being impeached and all the pundits saying ANYBODY could beat Clinton.
About 2004 - it depends on how strong Buhs looks. Hillary will remember the lessons learned in 1992, that a strong President can be defeated.
America has never really seen two politicans with the...appetite of Bill and Hillary Clinton. I always give them the edge in any contest because their lust for absolute power makes them able to sustain far more political and emotional pain than anyone they square off against. Consider the 1992 campaign. Pundits were predicting that Clinton would be pulling out "within a few hours" during the Flowers episode, then again during the draft episode, then again during the marijuana thing. Clinton would never quit, because he has no shame or remorse.
Bush was fortunate he wasn't running against Clinton in 2000, or we might still not have a President. I am only half joking. I am not sure that Clinton would ever have quit.