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It's hard for us policy wonks to admit it, but she is running a campaign, and she is finding interesting ways to take controversial but ultimately harmless policy positions that yield very real political gains.

I'm personally impressed, and I don't see anything in her positions that cannot be worked upon in practice once in power.

In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes

by Jerome a Paris (etg@eurotrib.com) on Wed Dec 6th, 2006 at 08:29:07 AM EST
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Someone [a journalist or another candidate in a debate] could well challenge her to assert a coherent position on the NPT.

Those whom the Gods wish to destroy They first make mad. -- Euripides
by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Wed Dec 6th, 2006 at 08:33:10 AM EST
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It could be simple: Iran formally has that right, but as they have repeatedly behaved in suspicious ways, it is unreasonable to trust them right now and we should do all we can to prevent them from putting their hands on that technology for now.

It's coherent, it's simple, it appears tough, but it does not prevent future breakthroughs in negotiations if Iranians "show good faith", something you can decide at any time.

In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes

by Jerome a Paris (etg@eurotrib.com) on Wed Dec 6th, 2006 at 08:35:46 AM EST
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So if politics is no longer about policy, where is policy supposed to come from?

Those whom the Gods wish to destroy They first make mad. -- Euripides
by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Wed Dec 6th, 2006 at 08:34:51 AM EST
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Why do you say that it is no longer about policy?

She has tons of policies an various subjects. But by preempting the debate on her supposed weaknesses, she kills these, which will allow her to be able to promote her actual policies without then being victim of diversions on these weaknesses.

For instance, if she proposes to increase social budgets, and to reinforce prevention rather than repression by police, and to create more jobs in schools to help out, people will still remember that she wants to send the bad boys to military camp and won't see these lefty policies as "indulging the parasites"...

In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes

by Jerome a Paris (etg@eurotrib.com) on Wed Dec 6th, 2006 at 08:39:31 AM EST
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We'll loan you James Baker!

"I said, 'Wait a minute, Chester, You know I'm a peaceful man...'" Robbie Robertson
by NearlyNormal on Wed Dec 6th, 2006 at 02:54:00 PM EST
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Eek!

Those whom the Gods wish to destroy They first make mad. -- Euripides
by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Wed Dec 6th, 2006 at 04:23:39 PM EST
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The really sad thing is that for us he is an improvement.

"I said, 'Wait a minute, Chester, You know I'm a peaceful man...'" Robbie Robertson
by NearlyNormal on Wed Dec 6th, 2006 at 05:15:39 PM EST
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