Was Texas debate Hillary's 'swan song'?

 

Noted political commentator and pollster Kellyanne Conway contends Hillary Clinton's performance in last night's Democratic presidential debate in Texas failed to bring new voters to her camp, change minds, or slow frontrunner Barack Obama's momentum.

 

 

Conway, president and CEO of the Polling Company, Inc./WomenTrend, says increasingly the chances are that Senator Clinton (D-New York) will not be the Democratic presidential nominee, so it is not far-fetched to suggest that last night's debate in Austin was her "valedictory speech" and that she's trying to exit the stage on a "high note."
 
"One would imagine such a smart, disciplined, ferociously focused person on becoming the next president of the United States must have done so intentionally," says Conway. "There could be really no other reason why she kept repeating these shop-worn, tired, dusty sound-bites about being ready for the job on day one and having the experience."
 
As the pollster points out, Mrs. Clinton has made the same sort of statements throughout the campaign -- "and it has landed her from the very comfortable spot of frontrunner to an absolute underdog," says Conway. She argues the "biggest bomb" of the night was when Clinton suggested Senator Obama (D-Illinois) was a candidate of "change you can Xerox" -- a remark that drew boos from the audience. (view a news video report about the debate)
 
"Mrs. Clinton looked down at her 'notes' before she delivered [the comment], which means that was one of the three or four things that these ridiculously highly paid, incompetent staffers she has insisted that she say as part of the debate," says Conway. "Even as she was delivering it, she seemed uncomfortable; that it sort of was sophomoric and undignified."
 
Conway says in trying to compliment her opponent last night in Austin, Clinton was still trying to tear him down. But the political commentator argues it is not Clinton's advisers, but rather the candidate herself who has run a poor campaign.
 
"I think she is congenitally limited as a candidate and as an individual politician," offers Conway, "and that's why she's trying to be somehow more gracious, almost silly looking -- like a bobble-headed doll last night, nodding in agreement with that fake smile every time Barack Obama said something ...."
 
Conway says because Clinton is a "controlled" candidate who lacks resilience and "snap recovery," there is little she can do right now to stop Obama's momentum.

A former Clinton advisor said today on an interview that the Cintons NEVER NEVER give up, and her speech and 'softening' meant one of two things.  Either she meant that the Dems would be just fine with either candidate, OR she's playing one roll while doing her damnedest behind the scenes to get Florida and Michigan back, and making those superdelegate calls.  He said he'd bank on the latter.  He said they have the ENTIRE top floor of her headquarters dedicated to people doing nothing but calling super delegates.

She has no intention of going anywhere.  He said they are experts at putting on any impression they want to the public, regardless of what's going on behind closed doors.  I believe him.

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I'd believe him too.  I don't think she'd stop at anything to win.  Not even murder.  Well, I don't think she'd actually do the murder herself, but there isn't a doubt in my mind she'd have it done someway, somehow, somewhere by someone.

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