The Keeper of Her Own Flame

It didn’t take long — one day — for Hillary Clinton to fail the test as a supporter of Sen. Barack Obama’s (D-Ill.) campaign.

After basking in adoration for her endorsement of Sen. Obama at the convention, the very next day — when it might have done some real good — she responded to the cynical nomination of Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska in these lame words: “We should all be proud of Gov. Sarah Palin’s historic nomination, and I congratulate her and Sen. McCain … Gov. Palin will add an important new voice to the debate.”

Her Iago, Geraldine Ferraro had something equally unhelpful to add.

Proud? I ‘d say insulted. Were I a woman I’d say outraged, as many leaders of women’s groups did say. Are Gov. Palin’s views what those 18 million cracks were for? Right to life rather than abortion, teaching creationism, strip mining, hunting wildlife from airplanes, the whole right-wing agenda?

Gov. P’s nomination is an obvious pandering to the women’s vote. The notion that any woman will do, as an enticement to Hillary Clinton’s supporters, should have been stepped on immediately by Hillary Clinton, but it wasn’t, and was left to other women’s leaders, who did so immediately.

The adoration of Hillary Clinton, which she now shares with the right wing, which is manipulating her to their advantage, without a word from her, is pathetic.

When the metaphoric 3 o’clock in the morning phone call comes, would Sen. Clinton really want Gov. Palin to answer? Well, why didn’t she say so?

When Hillary Clinton failed to step up to the plate on this ridiculous nomination she confirmed her cynical detractors’ fear that her chief concern on all issues is herself.