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She's Our Lady

"This nation needs better and stronger leadership. Over the last three years we have seen surpluses turned into deficits, economic prosperity turned into recession, and the standing of the United States fall. This has all happened under the watch of President George W. Bush and the Republican Congress. They're leadership has not been good enough, and it's time to change course. Therefore it's with the deepest sense of duty to this nation and it's people that I am announcing my candidacy for the Presidency of the United States. I'm in, and I'm in it to win it."
-Senator Hillary Clinton. January 20th, 2003 in Chicago, Illinois.

From the very start I knew that this campaign was different. Typically you have the candidate and then a hired hand as campaign manager. That manager generally bring with them a staff of veteran aides and assistants. But this wasn't the case with Hillary in 2004. She knew practically everyone on our campaign team. A lot of high ranking campaign members were from "Hillaryland", the term used by the media to describe her staff members in the Bill Clinton White House. That included campaign manager Maggie Williams and deputy campaign manager Patti Solis Doyle. Maggie had been Hillary's Chief of Staff during the '90s and Patti had run her 2000 senate campaign. Patti had been the early favorite to be the campaign manager, but after a series of meetings with other various staffers it soon became obvious that she wasn't as popular as Maggie. That's not an attack on Patti, and she would prove to be a valuable member of the team from day one all the way to the finish line. Howard Wolfson, an old New York political pro, was brought on as spokesperson for the campaign. His experience would prove to be very helpful throughout the race. Evelyn Lieberman was our COO. She had been the bulldog of the White House years and would fill a similar role during the campaign. Another Hillaryland member, Ann Lewis, would take the role of senior adviser. There were many other valued and active members of the campaign team, but it would take many more books to adequately describe their contributions. Me, I was brought on to shape the strategy of the campaign. Some people called me the "Democratic answer to Karl Rove", but I always felt differently. We may both be about winning, but Karl's also about destroying the opponent from start to finish. I only care about destroying them at the finish.
-In it to Win it, Mark Penn, 2005

Q: Senator Clinton, polls have consistently shown you leading your fellow Democrats in the battle for your parties nomination. Do you see yourself as the frontrunner?
A: Well Katie, first of all it's important to remember that no votes have been counted yet. It's far too early to name me the frontrunner and I'm sure that my fellow candidates will agree with me. What's even more important to remember is that this race isn't a fight between Democrats. We have to remember what the end goal is; defeating President Bush and getting a stronger leader in the White House.
Q: But you'd still say that you're the strongest candidate to defeat the President next November.
A: Well yes I would. Polls show that I can beat President Bush come November. But that alone isn't the only reason that I believe I'm the best candidate for the Democratic Party. I believe that I have the solutions to many of the problems this country faces. We need stronger leadership both in terms of foreign policy and in terms of the economy. Over the past four years we've been forced to accept mediocrity from our government. That's not good enough, and I'm committed to changing that.
Q: What about those who question you're experience both as an elected official and as a candidate?
A: Katie, I served this nation for a long time. I was a attorney for many years, and served as First Lady to both Arkansas and the entire nation. And as First Lady I took a very active role in the policies that Bill pushed for. I followed the goings on in the Arkansas State Legislature and in the United States Congress. Now I'm a Senator, and over the past four years I've taken an active role in governing this nation. The same goes for my campaigning experience. I've worked with Bill in every one of his elections, and I won a tough race for the United States Senate in New York four years ago. I most definitely have the experience it takes to win the Presidency and to be an effective President.
Q: Alright. The big issue for voters in 2004 appears to be the Iraq War. In October you voted for the Iraq War Resolution and have continued to voice you're support for an invasion. But with a party increasingly divided over Iraq, what do you say to anti-war voters who do not want to support a pro-war candidate.
A: The first thing I say is that war, wherever it's fought, is a difficult issue. The choice to send Americans into harms way is never easy. I understand why so many people oppose the war. They don't see the evidence of WMDs as being clear. But I can say as a member of the United States Senate that Iraq poses a clear threat to the rest of the region. I believe that once we have exhausted all diplomatic options that invasion should remain an option on the table.
-Good Morning America Interview with Katie Couric. January 28th, 2003


Today I announce that I am running for President of the United States of America. I speak not only for my candidacy. I speak for a new American century and a new generation of Americans -- both young people and the young at heart. We seek the great restoration of American values and the restoration of our nation's traditional purpose in the world.
-The Great American Restoration, Governor Howard Dean. June 23rd, 2003.

The major question for the Democrats in 2004 isn't so much Hillary Clinton as who isn't Hillary. You have a field of candidates who for the most part aren't very well known and who don't have the popularity Hillary does with rank-and-file Democratic voters. She may have voted for the war, but so did many of her colleagues in Congress. Most Democrats support the war, and so it's not very likely that they'll turn on her for voting for it. You really only have a few anti-war candidates in the field anyway. Dean from Vermont, Kucinich, Reverend Sharpton, and Senator Mosely-Braun. None of those candidates are going to come anywhere close to beating Hillary. She's gonna have the support of the Party establishment, and it's going to take a major force from the left to stop her.
-Chris Matthews. July 18th, 2003
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