The main stream media has decided that Hillary will be the Democratic nominee for President in 2008, and is deliberately and methodically building that "aura of inevitability" into the public discourse. On the republican side, McCain is beginning to get some of that treatment, but nothing like Hillary. So folks, let's just face it now. Make your peace with voting for Hillary, or start organizing an intra-party insurrection. The only big stick to bring to a primary battle or floor fight is the threat to break away into a progressive third party alternative, knowing that it may take three to four election cycles to build.
Think of it. Have you heard any talk from the punditocracy of Wes Clark, Al Gore, or John Edwards? Does the MSM care about what they're doing or saying about any current issues? I believe that among the possible democratic candidates, Hillary was the last one to call for Rumsfeld's resignation two weeks ago, and yet it's trumpeted as if it were ground-breaking. The media has decided that she is an acceptable nominee, and all subsequent coverage of anyone else in primary season will take a back seat.
But despite this- all Hillary all the time, she is a BAD CANDIDATE. Waffles on Iraq, waffles on health care, waffles on censuring Bush, is afraid of John Murtha, shamelessly promoted an anti flag burning bill, etc. etc. As a practical matter, we all know that her brand of political calculus is part of the problem, not part of the solution, and as such she is destined to lose. One commentator said that if it comes down to a campaign of Hillary versus McCain, that "he will play basketball with her head". And I think that is correct.
This is a paranoid thought, but I can't help it. She is a "safe" opponent for the republicans, because the repug playbook is full of tried and true methods to discredit and run rings around her ilk. They will "define" her and she won't recover. As a DLC democrat she doesn't really stand for anything in a heartfelt way. She is "safe" for the corporate media because she won't adopt populist positions, she won't speak straight from the heart like a Feingold, Gore, or Murtha, and can be relied upon to continue triangulating to straddle the status quo. She's safe for the republicans, safe for the corporate media, so obviously she is the front-runner, and will probably stay that way.
So this is the time to let Mr. Dean know that all the money and media bias in the world may not be enough to hold his party together if he just goes along and gets along. Been there, done that, and I for one am tired of losing.