SWIFT BOATING….Stephen Braun of the LA Times reports that right-wing activists are already heavily targeting Hillary Clinton:
Conservative admirers of the Swift Vets and POWs for Truth media blitz that helped torpedo Democratic Sen. John F. Kerry’s presidential candidacy in 2004 are now agitating to “Swift-boat” Clinton.
….Whether she can strike back quickly may prove crucial to winning over Democratic primary voters looking for assurance that she can survive a bruising general election and Swift-boat-style attacks.
….Hillary Clinton’s longtime spokesman, Howard Wolfson, dismissed the early GOP moves with characteristic terseness: “One thing people know about the Clintons is they know how to fight back.”
I’m with Wolfson: I don’t have any doubt that Hillary can take care of herself. But you know what I liked about this story? The fact that it talks about “Swift-boating” right at the top. It gives me a smidgen of hope that this time around the media is going to recognize campaign tactics like this for what they are: common thuggery, not legitimate attacks.
Or maybe not. We’ll see. For now, though, a tiny ray of optimism.
