Hillary's Visit to the Waffle House

ABC News is reporting that New York Senator and probable 2008 Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton is trying to distance herself from her 2002 vote to authorize President Bush to attack Iraq. During an appearance on "Today," Clinton made the following statement:

Obviously, if we knew then what we know now, there wouldn't have been a vote, and I certainly wouldn't have voted that way.

The smartest First Lady ever, ladies and gentlemen. Be sure to tip your wait staff.

Clinton is the latest Democrat to use the old hidden vote trick: distance yourself from the vote you're ashamed of and hope nobody remembers. Unfortunately for Hillary, some of us do remember, and they're not limited to Republicans. Democrats have long had a problem with her 2002 vote and they've used it as a means to campaign against her in the hopes of getting someone else as the 2008 candidate. I hate to break this to ya, but Hillary's got the nomination if she wants it. She and Bill have laid a pretty good groundwork to force their will on the DNC and the Democrats, and if she wants it, there is no one who can stop her. Not Howard Dean, not John Kerry, not even George Soros.

Some have suggested this is a political move. Well, gee, the Clintons are purely political animals, so that's a pretty good conclusion. She's trying to shore up the left-leaning base by playing the regret card. But I guarantee you there wasn't an ounce of regret in her when she cast the 2002 vote. For her, it was the right decision at the time, just as it's the right decision now to disavow the vote.

But that's the easy analysis and where most people are going to stop. There's something else that has to be noted. We have a Senator and a possible Presidential candidate who voted on a resolution to go to war without stopping to consider the entire matter. Granted, given the sheer size of the bills Congress puts forth it's entirely possible that she never really had time to read the resolution and let it sink in. But the fact is she didn't think it through when she had a chance and is now trying to erase history to cover up that fact. Sorry, Hill, but you don't get off that easily. If you're going to be portrayed by members of both major parties as intelligent and on top of the facts, you can't pull the stunt you did.

Besides, John Kerry may sue you for copyright infringement. He's the one who does the flip-flopping, remember?