Hillary and the Political Education of Obama

Whether or not she wins, Hillary has already given noble service as a sophisticated political tutor for Obama, providing her younger colleague with much-needed seasoning. Who else was going to toughen him up? Howard Dean? John Edwards? Dennis Kucinich?

Obama had not been hit hard until this campaign; he sailed through his Senate race. Without Hillary, he never would have learned to be a good debater. He never would have understood how to robustly answer distorted and personal attacks. He never would have been warned about how harmful an unplugged spouse can be. He never would have realized how a luminous speech can be effective damage control.

. . .

Hillary’s work is done only when she is done, because the best way for Obama to prove he’s ready to stare down Ahmadinejad is by putting away someone even tougher.

-- Maureen Dowd for The New York Times

Yeah, but you can have too much of a good thing. You don't want this bloodletting to go on into August, leaving only two months to campaign hard against the Republicans, and have to go into that war already wounded and bleeding. Obama has perhaps learned a lot at the hands of Hillary, but the school year really does have to close for summer vacation. Obama will only come out of this stronger if Hillary does not destroy him.

Hillary and the Political Education of Obama

Whether or not she wins, Hillary has already given noble service as a sophisticated political tutor for Obama, providing her younger colleague with much-needed seasoning. Who else was going to toughen him up? Howard Dean? John Edwards? Dennis Kucinich?

Obama had not been hit hard until this campaign; he sailed through his Senate race. Without Hillary, he never would have learned to be a good debater. He never would have understood how to robustly answer distorted and personal attacks. He never would have been warned about how harmful an unplugged spouse can be. He never would have realized how a luminous speech can be effective damage control.

. . .

Hillary’s work is done only when she is done, because the best way for Obama to prove he’s ready to stare down Ahmadinejad is by putting away someone even tougher.

-- Maureen Dowd for The New York Times

Yeah, but you can have too much of a good thing. You don't want this bloodletting to go on into August, leaving only two months to campaign hard against the Republicans, and have to go into that war already wounded and bleeding. Obama has perhaps learned a lot at the hands of Hillary, but the school year really does have to close for summer vacation. Obama will only come out of this stronger if Hillary does not destroy him.