After the debate, while we were milling around on stage, I stepped over and asked Hillary why Mike Huckabee is still running against John McCain. There’s no way Huckabee can win. Why is he still in the race? Hillary smiled and said, “McCain is old. He may not make it to the convention. Huckabee is playing the vulture card.”
I thought about her answer for a moment and another little light bulb went on. Hillary is a smart woman. Everyone agrees that I have run a very good, very capable campaign for President, and no one knows that better than Hillary Clinton. Still, it was obvious to me tonight that I have plenty to learn about politics, even if it comes from the wife of Bill Clinton.
When Hillary was asked by CNN if she thought Barack Obama was qualified to be Commander-in-Chief, I expected her to take quick aim, pull the trigger, and blast away. Instead, Hillary focused on herself and how qualified she was. I was surprised. She had a shot and didn’t take it. Why?
For a moment, only a moment, right there on national television, Hillary Clinton had an opportunity to take me down, score some political points, and yet she refused to squeeze the trigger. Why?
Hillary has a heart. She couldn’t bring herself to say that I was not qualified to be Commander-in-Chief. That would be windfall fodder for John McCain during the fall campaign. As I stood there on stage looking at her visit with CNN’s reporters and smile at her supporters, I realized what she did. Hillary knew it was better not to score points against me than it was to give ammunition that John McCain could use in the general election.
Hillary is a smart woman.
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