Hillary Clinton hovers over debate
By Peter S. Canellos, Globe Staff
Joe Biden and Sarah Palin can thank Dick Cheney for making the vice presidency seem important -- and Hillary Clinton for making their own candidacies seem inadequate.
Politicians used to line up to make jokes about the vice presidency -- "a warm bucket of spit," and so on -- and now, suddenly, it is being viewed as the most elite power perch in the Capitol.
The vice president is more than just a heartbeat away; the vice president is now presumed to be there, in the White House, riding herd on the government.
Cheney, whose decisive influence on the war on terrorism has been widely acknowledged, can be credited with enhancing the stature of the office. To many, he has also demonstrated the importance of closely vetting the candidates for the nation's number-two job.
But that's only one reason that this year's only vice presidential debate coming up tonight attracted more buzz than the first debate between the two presidential contenders.
Another is the drama surrounding Barack Obama's decision to bypass Clinton as his vice-presidential choice. There has been a very loose tradition of candidates in closely contested nomination fights giving the number two slot to the runner-up: John F. Kennedy chose Lyndon Johnson, Ronald Reagan chose George H. W. Bush, and . . . well, there haven't been too many more recent examples.
Then again, there haven't been too many nomination fights as closely contested as Obama's and Clinton's, and many of her supporters felt she was owed an offer.
Obama's failure to extend one opened the door to Biden -- and to Palin, whose addition to the GOP ticket by John McCain was aimed in part at wooing disaffected Clinton supporters.
Both Biden and Palin have paid tribute to Clinton in ways that have embarrassed their supporters. The normally combative Palin -- once nicknamed Sarah Barracuda -- caused a few hiccups on the right wing by kicking off her campaign with strong words of praise for Clinton.
Palin spoke proudly of the 18 million votes that Clinton garnered in the Democratic primaries and suggested that many of those voters would rally to her cause. "The women of America aren't finished yet," she said. "We can shatter that glass ceiling."
About two weeks later, Biden, rising to the challenge, raised some eyebrows in Nashua, N.H., by declaring that Clinton might have been a better pick than himself -- "not because she's a woman, but because, look at the things she's done in the past."
The two comparisons seemed to reflect better on Clinton than on the two veep candidates, raising questions about whether Palin is, as she seems to think, as qualified as Clinton was, and whether Biden may be living up to his unfortunate reputation for making odd statements.
Unlike presidential candidates, vice presidential candidates lack the validation of having been chosen by the voters. Their fitness is therefore perpetually in question.
Palin's selection produced initial excitement among conservatives, followed by some second thoughts. Her weak answers to interview questions posed in the past week by CBS anchor Katie Couric raised inevitable questions about her lack of experience in foreign policy and managing the economy.
Biden's experience is extensive, after 35 years in the Senate. But his five re-elections in the small state of Delaware were only lightly challenged, so there is reason to wonder if he's fully armed for political combat.
Clinton, by contrast, has been on the campaign trail for almost two years, criss-crossing the same proving grounds as Obama.
His failure to choose her shadows this year's vice presidential contest. It's fair to say that Clinton's presence, as much as Cheney's, has been hovering over the race this year.
Hers is the empty seat at the vice presidential debate.
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Sarah Palin has risen to the position of power today by her achievements, in spite of her husband.
Bill Clinton's wife has risen to the position of power today because she was married to the President.
This must drive real feminists crazy to see so much praise heaped on Bill Clinton's wife and so much scorn heaped on Sarah Palin.
Palin as the potential President of the United States is a no brainer. I'm not so sure I would even want her to drive my kid in a hockey car pool.
"Gov. Sarah" held her own with the Senator who looked tonight like he was just Biden' his time, while her likable personality made him "Pale -in" Comparision!
(Pun was absolutely intended!)
All the Main Stream press coverage putting down Gov. Sarah Palin, and running
all those loops of her past interviews has allowed her to come off the under dog.
I seem to remember Sen. Clinton getting a bounce when they were miss treating her. This debate made her look fresh, and human, & not the Old Style Politics.
You are right about how different it would have been to see her and Hillary debate!
Vomit, sometimes prettily wrapped from Obama's sometimes paid commenters and bloggers and his media, sickens me against them, not Sarah.. Charges against Sarah are that she is green re national and world politics. Alaska has foreign neighbours, unlike most of of the US. Her comments not understood by KC, made sense to me. KC has a silly style with silly games. I could question facetiously like her and do better. Sarah will not endorse one paper. She gets ALL and reads from amongst all of them. I do too. I think KC ought to garner that. Was it a quiz or an interview? Name a paper to prove you have read one? I see Sarah above crass stupidity and her detractors with thier own egg onl the face.
#1, perhaps you should consider the reverse, i.e., Bill Clinton has risen to the position of power because he was married to Hilary Clinton. Ask Bill Clinton if he would agree to that. Hilary Clinton is BRILLIANT, more so than 99% of the Senators, presidents and other senior government officials. That's why so much praise has been heaped on her. Sarah Palin is not the high IQ type. She has other forms of intelligence that brought her to this position today. She was scorned by phony intellectuals, a.k.a., reporters, because they wanted Obama to win, despite the fact that Obama is just as ignorant in politics as Palin.
Sarah Palin appears to have risen to power based on her looks and her personality. Hillary Clinton has not risen to power because of her husband like so many Hillary haters and republicans like to try to say about her. Hillary is EONS more intelligent and knowledgeable than Sarah Palin and that is painfully obvious. Sorry Mike, REAL feminists believe HIlary is there based on her own merit, intelligence and experience.
Ellie, I think Hillary Clinton is an exceptional woman, very intellegent and knowledgeable. I wouldnt vote for her to lead this nation. EVER. She scares me to death. I would rather take the likes of Palin than her. We need a down to earth person in office. I believe Palin brings that to the table. Are the choices we have the best America has to offer. IMO no. Were are back to the lesser of two evils.
Hillary Clinton is a brillant woman. Sarah Palin is a beauty queen. There is no comparison.
Hillary Clinton did not win. It is not about Hillary Clinton.
Even though I have never been a Hilary supporter, I would rather have her in the White House instead of the Alaskan Moose hunting, beer drinking, trying to be a regular "Joe Six Pack". The idea of Sarah being president scares the pants off of me.
Sarah Palin is an idiot. We've had an idiot in charge of the most powerful county in the world for 8 yrs and look what a mess we are in. I'm tired of stupid mistakes being covered up by our nation's flag, as if that makes things less disasterous. Where is our determination to actually live up to the hype we give ourselves? I tell my kids all of the time that "sorry" only counts if you change the behavior for which you are apologizing. We are an incredibly blessed nation; we should be handling our responsibilities to our nation and our children in ways that reflect our gratitude for those unearned blessings. Electing another stupid braggert is shameful.
Sarah Palin is a breath of fresh air and that is exactly what the USA needs. Lets get down to earth. She would make a great VP or President if it ever came to that. Has everybody just forgot about the mess in the Clinton white house, the lies, the cheating, and we all paid for it. One vote for Sarah!