Friday, November 02, 2007

Boston Globe: In The Tank For Hillary or, The Media Spin Of The Year

This Boston Glove editorial might qualify as the greatest media spin of all time: Hillary's refusal to actually take a position is a statesmanlike preservation of options.

Hillary Clinton won't say how she will fix Social Security. She spurns a deadline for withdrawing troops from Iraq. She's for free trade, except when it doesn't work. She defends her home state's issuing of driver's licenses to illegal immigrants, but doesn't really like the idea.

Yet a closer look reveals one thing Clinton has been quite explicit about - that as she campaigns, she is being careful to preserve her options as president if she goes on to win. While her speeches, debate performances, and policy prescriptions often feature hedging, Clinton has been startlingly straightforward about her refusal to be pinned down.


We used to call this cynical obfuscation. Now, it's called "preserving options."

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