“At critical junctures of her life, Hillary makes the same mistake,” Maureen Dowd has written in today’s (6.8) N.Y. Times. “She comes on strong, showing an arrogant, abrasive side, gets brushed back, and then repackages herself in a more appealing way.
“It happened when she began as Arkansas’ first lady; when she campaigned with Bill in ’92; when she started as a ‘two for the price of one’ first lady; when she did health care; and when she started her presidential campaign wearing an off-putting ermine robe of entitlement and presumption. And it happened when she lost the nomination, refused to admit it and, instead of congratulating Obama, wielded her female fan base as a bludgeon over him so she could once more share a presidency.
“Now, as she transforms herself into a team player, she must again fake it till she makes it. She still doesn’t believe Obama can win, but she knows she can move ahead only as a beguiler, not a begrudger. Meanwhile, she wants another power-sharing arrangement. She will help Obama be king, if he lets her be queen of the women.”