Hillary, Pillory, Shrillary

Hillary Clinton is fully engaged in the politics of personal destruction. She cannot win the popular vote or the delegate count unless she destroys Obama. So, with no sign of compunction, she targets Obama with the vigor and zeal of a fully committed Republican partisan.

Democrats should remember that John Kerry came as close as any challenger ever to unseat an incumbent president at war. His fatal flaw was his vote to authorize the war. Hillary has the same flaw. She has two choices: either repudiate her vote and echo Kerry's infamous 'voted for it before I voted against it', or try the too-subtle dance of saying it was right to start the war but the management was wrong. Being a Clinton, she will choose a third way, triangulating between truth and lies, deceit and honesty, trying to confuse just enough people for just long enough.

Nietzsche, Democrats, and Spring Football

How hard should you practice? Nietsche wrote “Out of life's school of war: What does not destroy me, makes me stronger” (Twilight of the Idols). College football coaches, the premier modern philosophers, know better. They protect their star in practice for fear of a career-ending misstep and injury.

Some of Hillary Clinton's supports defend her relentless attacks because they say the attacks will toughen Obama for the general election. There may be some truth in this, because most voters will find these petty issues 'old news' (Reverend Wright, former Weather Underground neighbor, lapel pin etc. etc.), depriving the Republican attack ads of some traction. More likely, it will drive a brilliant but over-tired Obama to state the truth poorly ('bitter'), providing ammunition to those pitiful, craven few who want status quo.