The NYT says it’s panic time in Hillary Clinton campaign central:

After struggling for months to dent Senator Barack Obama’s candidacy, the campaign of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton is now unleashing what one Clinton aide called a “kitchen sink” fusillade against Mr. Obama, pursuing five lines of attack since Saturday in hopes of stopping his political momentum.

The effort underscores not only Mrs. Clinton’s recognition that the next round of primaries — in Ohio and Texas on March 4 — are must-win contests for her. It also reflects her advisers’ belief that they can persuade many undecided voters to embrace her at the last minute by finally drawing sharply worded, attention-grabbing contrasts with Mr. Obama.

After denouncing Mr. Obama over the weekend for an anti-Clinton flier about the NAFTA trade treaty, and then sarcastically portraying his message of hope Sunday as naïve, Mrs. Clinton delivered a blistering speech on Monday that compared Mr. Obama’s lack of foreign policy experience to that of the candidate George W. Bush.

“We’ve seen the tragic result of having a president who had neither the experience nor the wisdom to manage our foreign policy and safeguard our national security,” Mrs. Clinton said in a speech on foreign policy at George Washington University. “We can’t let that happen again.”

And we are to assume that you’re better qualified out of the starting gate than George Bush was? Sounds like a pretty wild assumption to me, Lady.

Hmm. The tone is a little shrill. Makes her sound like a shrew. And that’s the danger for Hillary now. Does she passively let the campaign piss itself away in Ohio and Texas, or does she come out fighting in the last round?

Sadly, there’s nothing less appealing than a middle-aged woman in a bad pantsuit delivering a harangue. And whether it’s fair or not fair is irrelevant. Hillary now finds herself between a rock and a hard place. The NYT continues:

With a crucial debate on Tuesday night in Ohio, both Mrs. Clinton’s advisers and independent political analysts said that, by going negative against Mr. Obama at a time when polls in Texas and Ohio show a tightening race, Mrs. Clinton risked alienating voters. Mrs. Clinton has always been more popular with voters when she appeared sympathetic and a fighter; her hard-edged instinct for negative politics has usually turned off the public.

‘There’s a general rule in politics: A legitimate distinction which could be effective when drawn early in the campaign often backfires and could seem desperate when it happens in the final hours of a campaign,’ said Steve McMahon, a Democratic strategist working for neither candidate.

I think the only approach she has left is the “damned the torpedoes” tactic. Full speed ahead!

You know what’s worse than a middle-aged woman in a bad pantsuit delivering a harangue?

A middle-aged woman in a bad pantsuit named Hillary Clinton delivering a harangue, that’s what.

Technorati Tags: Hillary Clinton, campaign, struggling, Senator, Barack Obama, candidacy, Hillary Rodham Clinton, kitchen sink, attack, political momentum, next round of primaries, Ohio, Texas, March 4, must-win contests, undecided voters, denouncing, anti-Clinton flier, NAFTA, trade treaty, message of hope, naïve, blistering speech, lack of foreign policy experience, George W. Bush, president, national security, George Washington University, better qualified, wild assumption, shrill, shrew, come out fighting, less appealing, middle-aged woman, bad pantsuit, harangue, between a rock and a hard place, crucial debate, independent political analysts, going negative, tightening race, negative politics, turned off the public, legitimate distinction, damned the torpedoes, tactic

Bookmark: