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Hillary rebounds

Brig Gfn (Retd) Jahangir Kabir,
SENATOR McCain wins die Republican nomination; Senator Clinton opens the race for Democratic ticket as comeback kid.
In the battleground last Tuesday Senator Obama's frontal assault on Senator Hillary Clinton appeared halted. She won dele gate rich Texas and Ohio and also Rhode Island. Hillary's comeback stunned many observers who are keen to call upon her to throw in the towel early and quit. She has been the most popular politician for years; was never been a gullible personality; always a relentless fighter on issues and causes that earned her many enemies and made her somewhat vulnerable.
The frontrunner status for long has allowed enemies to regroup to challenge her dream. The gender fear prompted her to declare early that exposed her for long to fires from all direction. The rise of Obama was meteoric and somewhat unexpected. Senator Obama is the silver bullet for the enemies of Hillary.
With losses in 12 states in a row, she was slugged and bleeding nervously. Obama mania was spreading: the danger was real. Many doubled Maggie Williams's ability to stop hemorrhage and energize the campaign for the delegate rich states ofTexas, Ohio and everything. Even Latino rich state Texas had only fifty- fifty chance while she needed minimum 57% votes in both Ohio with 141 delegates and Texas 194, to remain afloat.
With Rode Island, Texas and Ohio for Hillary she has turned crisis into opportunity. Ohio has become a classic state; In a sense the win in Ohio has won 11 presidential races in a row. Hillary campaign is certainly energized but still with fewer delegates than Obama, far from assured, which Larry King of CNN dubbed as ding-dong race. It is now going to be a hand to hand combat for every delegate.
Senator Clinton has not been a kitchen in charge First lady of the White House She fought relentlessly on universal health care, widened the safety net but much is still left to be done. As president she will have one last opportunity to fulfill her promise. The rich and affluent fear her presidency will tax their pocket for universal social security and healthcare. Even the rich don't like to pay tax. The Democrat, already known as big spenders, Hillary will ask for bigger budget for the poor if elected. 'Stop Hillary' is the battle cry of the rich and affluent.
She has been fighting for the choice over the unborn which is extremely unpopular with the churches and conservatives Hillary's presidency will be a defeat for the crusaders of pro-life. The cost of choice will be an additional burden on health care. She may be unstoppable once nominated: the moralists, conserva lives and rich are all out fighting advance guard battle to stop her nomination. There is a considerable macho arrogance who thinks women are unfit for war and the White House. Many veterans did
not like Bill Clinton for dodging the Vietnam War. They too arc not showing enthusiasm for Hillary. They would much rather vote for Obama than I Hilary.
The sulking Democrats of the Clinton presidency are also asking for their pound of flash. More than a decade as governor of Arkansas and eight years in the White House, an army of Bill’s political enemies are larking for blood. Even the powerf ul families are out to sec Clinton's don't outshine theirs.
The Kennedys have endorsed Obama; Shrivers did the same, John Kerry too, so also the grand daughter of President Dwight Eisenhower. Radio, TV, news papers - the whole world of media, is in frenzied state for Obama along with entertainment Icons like Oprah Winfrey. When the media discovered a Rambo In Obama; the apparently more popular Hillary appeared most embarrassed.
Bush presidency is in the doldrums due to failure to achieve goals in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, latest worries being the economy plunging into recession. With the kind of performance, Republicans have little hope of retaining the White House. The Republican contender is not likely to last long in the ring; knockout strategy is their best hope. To their satisfaction the vital jab comes from Democratic 'golden child'-Senator Obama.
A powerful pen and very persuasive voice, the greenhorn Obama turned into celebrity overnight; getting iconic response from younger voters, African-
Americans, rich, independents, and of course masked Republicans. Politics Is the art of possibility; Republicans tradition ally play the game better.
The populist Democrats char acterizc In diversity and accom modation, no wonder; their choice is between a woman and an African American. The brilliant Obama is every inch a politician with the articulation of a poet and hypnotic delivery of a magician the maestro has already shattered many facts into fiction. No one knows the substance but Obama is ' selling lorry-load of hope: he is instantly convincing. It was Obama carnival; even white males were joining in droves.
But the rhetoric seems to have brought to a halt by experience. Clinton has the experience and the audacity of a leader in crisis that made her a heroin in the Lewinsky affair. She has created a doubt if Senator Obama has confidence of the majority Americans to reach the While House and the experience to function as president. That I suppose, has made comeback possible.
Bush administration has done little. The next president's main foreign policy focus will be in the Middle East; Palestinian-Israel accord that was almost signed at Camp David during Bill Clinton's time needs vigorous renewal. Between pro war McCain and anti war Barack Obama, Hillary has the middle ground. Economy that Bill left in surplus 7 years ago is under sub-prime disaster and in the grip of recession; refusing to respond despite lower interest rate stimulant. Americans appeared to have
a late awakening that Hillary is the rightful inheritor of those golden legacies. She is finally selling 'there is no time for rhetoric or on-the-job training'. Republicans earnestly wanted Obama who they feel is 'defeatable'.
McCain has the nomination now but is caught up lately in sexual scandal with young lobby-
ist Vicki Jseman. Line of worries is visible in Republican camp too.
The magic number of 2025 delegates is still 500 plus away for the democratic ticket. If the race for the nomination hangs on to 796 super delegates at the National Democratic Convention by the end of August, split and emotion between the Obama and
Hillary camps will be too wide and too late to heal before the November election. If Hillary wins nomination by a split decision at the convention, African-Americans and youths, emotionally charged might be too heartbroken to vote. That's where the strategy of the Republicans and Hillary haters are converging
Unless Hillary can unite the emotionally divided party or Obama can make happen hitherto unthinkable, the race for the White House may once again turn into a nightmare for the Democrats.
The author# a freeanew