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Tuesday, March 13, 2007 12:00 AM

Hillary the prudent

Democrats burning for the inspirational uplift of Barack Obama or the left-leaning edge of John Edwards may not be ready for an authentic moderate.

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  • Monday, March 12, 2007 09:24 PM

    Not the "Authentic Prudent Moderate" but the "Jaded Timid Opportunist'" not the "Intellectual Honesty" but the "Calculated Mistake"

    This posting sounds like Shapiro, the writer, is embarking on a public relations campaign on behalf of candidate Hillary.

    Shapiro's assessment of Hillary is as generic as what Hillary has offered to her base so far. Shapiro attributes this so-called generic approach to Hillary's "authentic prudent moderate" stand. I have to say this is a laughable defense.

    The purpose of primary election is to provide voters--the party faithful--an opportunity to study, examine, assess, compare each candidate’s personality, position, conviction, principles, action plan. It is not a beauty pageant where candidates only need to post, smile, show off while the audience only need to choose whoever is the most pleasant to their eyes.

    We don’t need a candidate who hides in her so-called “authentic prudent moderate” label so she doesn’t need to voice her position, dare to speak from her heart, because she thinks her bold and honest stand may alienate certain imagined voters. We need candidates to be as clear, bold, honest, skillful as possible to speak their minds and express their hearts. So, we as the voters can decide who should be the party’s nominee and who deserves to be the resident of the White House.

    To Shapiro, it is an act of intellectual honesty, to me Hillary’s reluctant to recant her Iraq vote is a calculated mistake on top of another calculated mistake, namely the vote for this bloody, unnecessary, costly foreign policy blunder.

    From Shapiro’s eyes, Hillary possesses hard-earned wisdom, which comes with a sense of political prudence and caution; to me Hillary’s wisdom is misplaced for her own self-serving ambition, her sense of political prudence and caution has been best reflected in her overwhelming desire to win and win at any cost.

    In addition to our contrasting view toward Hillary, I would like to correct some of Shapiro’s word usage when describing her. I don’t think the word “prudent” is correct, I think it should be replaced with “timid, calculating.” Likewise, “moderate” should change to “do or say nothing extraordinary to either win or not to alienate any type of voters.” Furthermore, even though this is purely personal opinion. I have to say I think I am right. I think “authentic” is completely opposite word to describe Hillary. The better word should be “jaded.”

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