No Man’s Blog

Okay.  It’s bad enough that Hillary Clinton didn’t make her decision to go to Selma, Alabama until a week ago:

[Barack] Obama (D-Ill.) announced several weeks ago that he would deliver the keynote speech at a service honoring the march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge, joining Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) and other veterans of the civil rights movement in marking the historic event. Obama has gained significantly among black voters in recent months, according to a recent Washington Post-ABC News survey, jeopardizing Clinton’s early lead in the Democratic primary field.  (Washington Post.)

It’s bad enough that she was afraid to go down there unless accompanied by someone ostensibly “more black” than she is:

Bill Clinton will join Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton at a commemoration of the 1965 civil rights march in Selma, Ala., on Sunday, bringing his star power and popularity among African Americans to a weekend of events that had been shaping up as a showcase for the candidacy of Sen. Barack Obama.  (The same Washington Post article.)

And it’s even more disgusting to learn that the decision was based purely on political considerations and had absolutely nothing to do with any sort of interest in—or support for—the civil rights movement:

Reluctant to give any ground to Obama even at this stage of the campaign, Clinton (N.Y.) decided early last week that she, too, would go to Selma this weekend. She arranged a simultaneous appearance at a church just steps away from the one where Obama will speak Sunday morning, and she agreed to accept a civil rights award on behalf of her husband.  (That pesky Washington Post again.  Emphasis added.)

And it’s embarrassingly obvious that Hillary is terrified that Obama is poised to wrest the black vote away from her:

The imminent collision of the two candidates, who cross paths in the Senate but have avoided each other on the campaign trail, offers a vivid snapshot of how important the campaigns believe black voters will be in the primaries. And the swift move by the Clintons to try to claim the spotlight at the event demonstrates that the former first lady does not intend to cede the black vote to Obama.
[…]
‘I think the Clinton camp is sending a signal that they will aggressively contest Barack Obama for the African American vote,’ said Rep. Artur Davis (D-Ala.), who has endorsed Obama and whose district includes Selma. ‘It’s a good thing the black vote will not be taken for granted and will be actively contested.’ Alabama, which has a large black electorate, has not locked in a primary date; it could come as early as Feb. 5, 2008, which is shaping up to be a national primary day with contests from coast to coast.  (The Washington Toast Post.)

But to stoop to this…?

The horror.  It’s not even funny.  I wonder what Hillary’s New York constituents are going to think about her startling Southern belle-ification?

One more tip of the hat to Jeanette at Hang Right Politics for the grotesque audio.  I really like that blog!

And more commentary and trackbacks at Malkin.

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