Will the Obama drug smear rebound on Clinton?

There’s one dominant theme that emerges whenever Hillary’s chances in the Democratic race are being assessed – the so-called “legendary brilliance of the Clinton machine”.

But is it really up to that much? Are we being sold a line in order that nothing should impede the view that Hillary’s eventual success is inevitable? Certainly the events of the past day or so do little to inspire confidence.

The big news items in the fight for the Democratic nomination overnight were the latest polls showing Obama ahead in New Hampshire and an attempt by a Clinton aide, later withdrawn, to raise the issue of Barrack’s use of drugs as a teenager.

With the days ticking by until the Iowa caucus on January 3rd and the New Hampshire primary five days later a top Clinton official in the latter said that Obama’s admissions on his youthful discretions in a book last year would open the door for further questions and provide ammunition for “Republican dirty tricks“.

An Obama official, according to ABC News responded by saying that Clinton had “.. moved from Barack Obama’s kindergarten years to his teenage years in an increasingly desperate effort to slow her slide in the polls…”Sen. Clinton’s campaign is recycling old news that Barack Obama has been candid about in a book he wrote years ago, and he’s talked about the lessons he’s learned from these mistakes with young people all across the country.”

The problem with this sort of attack is that it smacks of desperation. It shows that they are worried. For Obama was quite smart to set down in his book last year the issues that might be raised during a campaign. His admission then makes it difficult for things to be raised now – unless he was not being quite frank or some new evidence has come up.

A challenge in this election is that the media and much of the electorate are well-versed in the art of “going negative” – such a move like the one in New Hampshire can easily be turned as the Obama team are trying to do.

I continue to be a Hillary seller – positions I had taken out with the intention of closing them down at a profit when the market moved. Now I’m beginning to think that I’ll stick with them. On the basis of this week her campaign looks naff.

Mike Smithson