Republican hopefuls try to undercut Clinton

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Forget Bill. Hillary Rodham Clinton, the Democratic presidential leader, has become the Republican candidates' favorite punching bag.

The Republican hopefuls love to hate Sen. Hillary Clinton, the Democratic front-runner.

Mitt Romney argues she would turn the United States into a "big government, big taxation, welfare state." John McCain calls the New York senator an irresponsible guardian of taxpayer dollars. Rudy Giuliani claims she'd put the country "on defense against terrorism." And all three lambaste her on Iraq.

At every turn, the leading GOP contenders are criticizing Clinton even as they are entangled in their own turbulent race for the Republican nomination.

"They see her not only as the clear Democratic front-runner but also as the most formidable potential opponent," said Joseph Marbach, a Seton Hall University political science professor. Thus, Marbach and others say, each is trying to prove he is the strongest Republican to challenge Clinton in November 2008 -- and damage her in the process.

The two-term New York senator leads the Democratic field but faces fierce challenges from Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois and ex-Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina. GOP candidates have harped on them, too, but to a lesser extent.

It's standard campaign fare for Republicans to castigate Clinton's husband and his administration -- and they still do. They also have assailed her sporadically since 1992. Now, she is a White House candidate in her own right, and as such, is increasingly in the GOP candidates' crosshairs.

At every turn, the leading GOP contenders are criticizing Clinton even as they are entangled in their own turbulent race for the Republican nomination.,

Last I knew, hill and her surrogates have thrown half a dozen smear jobs against Thompson just this weekend. I know this is supposed to present her as the victim, and cement a front runner status, but if that's so why did she open the floodgates on Thompson this week?

She's the front runner among the Dems, because the Dems she's running against don't know how to fight tactics usually reserved for use against the right. Gore's the only one, maybe, that could give her a real run in that primary.

But I'm not granting her an overall frontrunner status when her minnions are hysterical about Fred. Nor am I doing so when, just like her husband, she gets less then 50% of support.

Defeating Hillary is pretty simple theroretically, if not in practice. She won't pull 50% of the vote anymore then Bill did. She knows it. They need the GOP to have a damaged nominee or one the base will NOT passionately support. Like 41. Like Dole. Then for good measure, throw in a third party candidate.

All the GOP needs to do is find someone the base would willingly get out of bed to walk precincts for, and that has some crossover appeal to the Reagan Dems. Sounds easy enough right? Well, with candidates like Rudy, Mitt and McCain then Bush calling the base names...not so much. That's why the attacks from the Clinton camp until now have been hit and run. No fear.

then comes a Rass poll with Thompson tying her, and I have to believe not so good internal polling, signs the religious right is gearing up to choose a candidate and that candidate is Fred, democrats making favorable comments about fred on the DNC website and conservatives that have been apathetic up to now at least cautiously willing to review Fred...the woman is starting to freak out a bit. Hillary's worst enemy is a united and passionate conservative movement with a candidate they can rally around.

I'm not saying Fred is that guy yet. But I can read the signs to this DATE in time as well as she can, she's launching a pre-emptive move against the one guy (as it stands right now) she's starting to fear could make the road to the W.H. less certain. And I thought the so called "frontrunner" didn't believe in pre-emptive strikes?

Amazing how Hillary has been in the Senate for 6 years, running for president for a year or more and has NEVER received any meaningful scrutiny by the MSM. But a guy who hasn’t even announced for President has all these hit pieces written about him. They are really getting desperate. I never cease to be amazed at the level the MSM will sink to be in the pocket of the democrats. I remember that the New Republic of all magazines used to have a feature called the “Clinton Suck-up watch” in their issues. It’s a hundred times worse now.

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