Hillary Clinton Sopranos Spoof.

Well, it is now clear that the Sopranos series, and especially its finale, have entered the lexicon of cultural cliches. Here we have Hillary and Bill strolling into the Mt. Kisco Diner for supper, complete with references to the onion rings, the Journey music, parallel parking, threatening characters and a final blackout. In case the references were not clear enough, we have the actor who portrayed Johnnie Sack giving his best cold-eyed stare at the Clintons.

Ann Althouse has pointed out the problems for Hillary with all the associations imbeded in this video. But perhaps she is putting too fine a point on the event. After all, it does show that the Clintons can appear to have a sense of humor. Yes, I know that the likelihood is that the writer and director had to explain the context to them. It is also impossible to envision Hill and Bill strolling into a diner on Main St., even with the Secret Service entourage in tow.

At the end of the day the video is a Rorschach test of our preconceptions about America's most focused and driven couple.

The YouTubing Of Hillary Begins

Andrew Sullivan posts a YouTube video today that is based on the famous Apple Computer 1984-style ad. The ad is by an anonymous Obama supporter a brings out what is frightening in Hillaryspeak.

One interesting and fun point about the video: notice that the hammer throwing rebel now is decked out with the obligatory iPod. MP3 players were certainly not available back in the days of the first Macs. Their near universality today leads me to feel that they would have been better placed on the countless automatons raptly, if besottedly, listening to Hillary's speech.

Hillary Shouldn't Apologize, Another View

In today's NY Times' firewalled article, David Brooks takes another view of Hillary's stance on the war and finds no reason she needs to apologize. Key point:

When you look back at Clinton’s thinking, you don’t see a classic war supporter. You see a person who was trying to seek balance between opposing arguments. You also see a person who deferred to the office of the presidency. You see a person who, as president, would be fox to Bush’s hedgehog: who would see problems in their complexities rather than in their essentials; who would elevate procedural concerns over philosophical ones; who would postpone decision points for as long as possible; and who would make distinctions few heed.

Today, the liberal wing of the Democratic Party believes that the world, and Hillary Clinton in particular, owes it an apology. If she apologizes, she’ll forfeit her integrity. She will be apologizing for being herself.

Hillary's Problem With Renouncing Her Support For Attacking Saddam

Christopher Hitchens in Slate lays out chapter and verse of Hillary's problem and her refusal to declare her vote authorizing our attack on Iraq. The core of the problem for her is that in 1998, hubby Bill advocated and signed the "Iraq Liberation Act". She also spoke forcefully of the danger she believed Saddam posed for the West in October 2002:

In the four years since the inspectors left, intelligence reports show that Saddam Hussein has worked to rebuild his chemical and biological weapons stock, his missile delivery capability, and his nuclear program. He has also given aid, comfort, and sanctuary to terrorists, including al-Qaida members, though there is apparently no evidence of his involvement in the terrible events of September 11, 2001.

This also raises the question that will not be asked of Barack Obama in the run up to the Democratic nomination, why did he believe invading Iraq was wrong in 2002 - 2003? Is there a record of his opposition and rationale? Did he alone among our political leaders see through the faulty intelligence and into the impossibility of the post war internecine warfare? If so, he should be bragging about it. He may indeed possess the stuff of greatness.