In the early scrabble of thoughts, The Atlantic’s Andrew Sullivan, The New Republic’s Michael Crowley, and McCain spokesperson Tucker Bounds, all take issue with the fact that in her speech Hillary Clinton didn’t address foreign policy and Obama’s preparedness as commander in chief.
Sullivan: “To my mind, however, it was an average performance, not a slashing attack on the Bush-Cheney record, nor a rousing rallying cry for Obama, nor a very insightful analysis of the country’s problems. There was virtually nothing about foreign policy. She did what she had to do, tell her voters to back Obama.”
Bounds: “Senator Clinton ran her presidential campaign making clear that Barack Obama is not prepared to lead as commander in chief. Nowhere tonight did she alter that assessment. Nowhere tonight did she say that Barack Obama is ready to lead.”
Crowley: “I’ll amend this if I’m mistaken but on first read of Hillary’s speech text I see no clear, flat assertion that Obama is qualified and prepared to be commander in chief from day one, which of course was always her central critique of him. That was something I had expected to see.”
(Ben Smith at Politico mentions it briefly as well.)
Maybe we’re supposed to take the hint from Clinton’s campaign song-cum-entrance/exit music (a Big Head Todd and the Monsters tune that blasted over the speakers tonight): “Oh yes you can change the world / There is no other one / Believe and you will find blue sky.”
