Kenneth Walsh of U.S. News & World Report tried to reassure readers of a new, moderating Hillary in an article titled "Crafting the New Hillary." Is that being done by her handlers, or by the liberal media as well? Walsh reported she was moving to the center, on economics and even on abortion:
Clinton is also trying to come across as more cautious and centrist, if often ambiguous in her policy stands, to reassure independents and conservatives. In an interview with CNBC's Power Lunch last week, she urged Bush to address fundamental problems in the economy, such as soaring foreign debt and massive budget deficits. She called the stock market plunge a "wake-up call" and encouraged the administration to find some "sensible and reasonable" answers.
Walsh repeatedly used anonymous Republican strategists to sell how well Hillary is doing, and when a Republican strategist says she's not going to win, he is named (Frank Donatelli). The "prominent GOP strategist" below was positive enough to have his quote highlighted in large type:
"The electability argument has faded," a prominent GOP strategist admits. "It's a credit to her and her campaign that she has moderated her personality step by step." In addition to hewing to the center on some issues, such as abortion [!] and free trade, she has talked openly about her belief in prayer and has worked on legislation with a number of conservative senators, including South Carolina's Lindsey Graham, who helped lead the impeachment drive against her husband. And she has refused to endorse immediate withdrawal from Iraq, despite demands from many antiwar activists.
Can we please stop reporters from going weak in the knees when Hillary talks about prayer? Is the mere thought of prayer a "conservative" position? What is she were to pray to Buddha? These kinds of sentences make one wonder if reporters think prayer (and God) is an unfamiliar, alien concept.
It's also typical that Walsh doesn't note in an article on moderating Hillary that his place setting for her is a "crowd of 100 union and environmental activists" (not "liberals"), where she interrupted Anna Burger. (In a different story, Washington Post political reporter explained Anna Burger as representative of the new, harder-left union movement, feminist and anti-war, the one that broke away from the AFL-CIO.) He also avoids mentioning the sponsor of the event (the Apollo Alliance) or that Hillary was joined by another Senator there -- socialist Bernie Sanders.
