 Senator Clinton stayed cool and calm as she addressed the public and thanked her staff (and all campaign volunteers) during Friday's hostage drama. The AP account describes her as "regal looking" in her post-crisis news conference. And CBS News says Clinton "seized the opportunity" to present a picture of a woman in charge:
“It looked and sounded presidential,” said Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics. “This was an instance of the White House experience of this campaign. They knew how to handle this.”
That the crisis was outside Clinton's control gave it a rare quality in this era of hyper-controlled politicking, Sabato added.
“What’s most important about it is that it’s not contrived. It’s a real event and that distinguishes it from 99 percent of what happens in the campaign season.” Whatever the media's parsing, and as cynical as I believe the media is about Mrs. Clinton, I think CBS and Sabato have it right. The Senator's performance yesterday was outstanding. Her voice was measured, no upper register, and she was relaxed and generous with her praise of the young people who run campaigns. Hell, even Chris Matthews was impressed, and he HATES the Clintons! If that's the way she would present herself in a bigger crisis, I think its clear that she has all that it takes to assume leadership. Previous:
Labels: 2008, Hillary Clinton, presidential candidates |
