Hillary's Next Step

After winning an astounding 67% of the vote in her re-election bid, Senator Hillary Clinton (Democrat-NY) is making some initial moves toward running for president. While she doesn't plan to make any sort of announcement until early next year, the New York Times reported yesterday that she "has begun a calculated series of meetings with top New York Democratic officials to signal that she is likely to run for the presidency in 2008."

Andrew Sullivan would rather she not:

She really shouldn't run. It would divide and polarize the country; she's dreadful on the stump; she has very high negatives; most Democrats only like her; almost no-one loves her; and do we really want 20 years of two families in the White House? Besides: what do you do with Bill?...I think she'd make a great Supreme Court Justice or Senate Majority Leader. I had a chat recently with a senior Republican and former presidential candidate. We were discussing how deeply divided the Republicans are. I asked him: what could unite them again at this point? He answered in one word: Hillary. She's the last hope for the far right. Please, Senator Clinton. Don't do it.

I really do think Hillary would make a superb president, but I am beginning to wonder if people like Sullivan are right. I think the Democratic ticket in 2008 will need to serve as the real healers...a ticket that will bring Democrats, Republicans, Greens, and Libertarians together to reverse the wrongs brought on by eight years of George W. Bush. And no matter how hard she tries, Senator Clinton won't be that candidate.