I think her chances have improved mainly because McCain's position is so unpopular. The fact that people are calling the escalation "The McCain Doctrine" can't be helping.

Posted by: RWB at January 13, 2007 04:02 PM | Permalink to this comment

Credit John Edwards for that coinage, RWB.

I personally think that it never occurred to McCain that Bush would actually escalate. It's such an obviously bad idea. He was trying to establish his hawkish cred, and be able to blame failure on Bush and on the dirty hippies on the left.

Now he's screwed.

Posted by: jayackroyd at January 13, 2007 04:08 PM | Permalink to this comment

I don't see Hillary getting any advantage for her recent opportunism.

McCain may get credit for putting principle ahead of public opinion ("I'd rather lose a campaign than lose a war"). Hillary can't, at this late date, make McCain a fall guy for Iraq -- not when she voted to authorize the war and has voted to fund it every year since.

Anti-war Dems (i.e., Dems) ultimately won't be satisfied by the lame attempts by Hillary, Biden and Co. to abdicate responsibility on this. If Hillary & Co. want out of the Iraq War now, let them use the power of their co-equal branch of government to stop it.

Ultimately, if his support for the Iraq War becomes a show-stopper for McCain in '08 it will be one for Hillary too. Fed-up voters can easily find other candidates untainted by votes for the war (e.g., Obama, Giuliani).

Dave

Posted by: Dave at January 13, 2007 05:37 PM | Permalink to this comment

Clinton's statement hits a very wrong note.

It's one thing for policy wonks to talk about what the Iraqis should do about oil and whether and how the U.S should try to influence those decisions. Politicians should avoid talking as if the U.S. has a right to dictate to Iraq's 'democratic' government on anything, but most especially regarding oil.

Sadly, Americans generally seem to have a tin ear on such matters. Of course everybody but rabid America-haters knows that America knows best and is happy for us to boss the world. It's just funny that the world is suddenly full of rabid America-haters.

Posted by: David Tomlin at January 13, 2007 07:32 PM | Permalink to this comment

I agree with Popinjay. McCain isn't the gruff-but-lovable bear that you're being sold and you're an idiot if you really believe that he IS his image. He's a politician first and foremost, a creature composed primarily of tiny mirrors, opium smoke and glittering pieces of foil. His statements are calculated just like any other politician's, and this is what I would expect from an effective leader. We do not elect or want people, we want symbols and icons.

This time, however, McCain's been betrayed both by his persona and by the bumbling fool he was depending on. At some point people are going to have to stop expecting Bush to do the sane thing, don't you think?

Posted by: mafisto at January 16, 2007 08:17 PM | Permalink to this comment