Hillary in '08!

I know...three posts in one day. Sometimes I just can't help myself. I woke up this morning and was watching the local news and then GMA. I often like to sit and watch the news while eating my breakfast, getting ready, etc...

Well...one of the main stories on both news programs was that Hillary Clinton has announced that she is intending to run for President. It isn't something I had heard yet...so the announcement (kind of) caught be by surprise.

Am I surprised that Hillary is running and that she is announcing now? Not really. I think that once Barack Obama announced that he was running...it was only a matter of time before Hillary officially threw her hat into the race. And...Hillary is smart enough to do it right before Bush is scheduled to give his State of the Union speech on Tuesday...just to steal a little of his thunder.

Now..I am proudly a huge fan of Hillary Clinton. I think she was an amazing First Lady and she has served New York State well and their junior senator. I think she is a really smart woman and for that, I support her.

I do worry though...I want a democrat in the White House in 2008 and I am not sure it is Hillary's time. I think she can win the nomination, but I am not sure she can win the White House.

Pros for Hillary:
1. Bill. He was an amazing president...he knows how to campaign and he's just so gosh darn charming that I think he can get out the vote for Hillary just like he did when she first ran for Senate.
2. She knows how the system works. She has been inside the White House for 8 years, so she has more experience than anyone else running on the dems side.
3. She is well known and often the voice of the democratic party right now.
4. She can raise money like the best of them...Hillary already has tons of money left over that she raised for her re-election campaign in the Senate.

Cons for Hillary:
1. That she is a woman. This breaks my heart to write, given the feminist that I am. I am just not sure that the country is willing and preparing to elect a woman into the white house. I would vote for her in a second...but I think that for most of middle america...it's just not something they are willing to do.
2. She is a polarizing person. You either love her or hate her. Something Bill Clinton did so well is appeal to the mass audience. Hillary has Bill in her camp, but I don't think that is going to win votes on the other side of the political spectrum. For a democrat to win...they need to win their base, but also break into the republican base and win some votes there too. I am not sure I see her doing that.
3. The Iraq Issue: Hillary is going to have the same problem that John Kerry did, even though I think she will handle it much better. Hillary was in the Senate in 2001 and she voted in support of the war in Iraq. She is going to have to explain why she supported it then and does not know. She is going to have to explain how the information we know now is different. Barack can easily say he was always against the war...because he didn't have to vote on it in 2001. P.S. And you can't say that everyone voted for the war...Ted Kennedy didn't.

So...I think Hillary is a fabulous woman, politician, etc...but I worry...especially seeing a show down between Hillary Clinton and John McCain.

Anyways...enough posting for today...I promise!