Like a (Granite State) Rock

I want to associate myself with everything Kevin Drum has to say about the "serious" voters in NH and Iowa. On the Dem side, NH voters are clearly running to get on the Obama train. And Iowa has only sped up the Romney bleeding, that I will argue to the end of time started with Curt Schilling - yes, the Red Sox pitcher who has more pull than God in New England - doing an ad for McCain. Very serious.

On the Clinton front, I do think she would have made the best President (when people talk about Obama having JFK-like potential, I have the same reaction as Matt Yglesias) and been far more important from a historical perspective.

Women continue to be disempowered across American society to a greater extent than in any other politically and economically developed country, and I do believe that 4-8 years of a woman in the White House would have a significant positive impact. Others counter about the impact of a black President, but even leaving aside the numbers issue (150m women vs. 35m African Americans) I think addressing "women" issues - child care/early education, women's pay, domestic violence - would have a more positive impact on the African-American community than addressing racial discrimination.

That said, as Kevin points out she decided to hire Mark Penn - a true scum bag. I don't work for the campaign (though I have friends who have), so can't say what exactly can and can't be attributed to him, but plenty of decisions have had his fingerprints and every one has rubbed me the wrong way. Would a campaign team led by people other than the old guard have put her in the lead in the first place? Who knows, but my hypothesis is that her decision to bring him and the rest of the old guard in is what did her in (and is why I am not necessarily heart broken by that outcome).