John Nichols: Exit Hillary's Favorite Son (The Nation)

[marmar]

BLOG | Posted 02/23/2007 @ 2:04pm
Exit Hillary's Favorite Son


Having served his none-too-subtle role in the grand scheme of the 2OO8 presidential competition -- keeping as many Iowa Democrats as possible "locked up" until New York Senator Hillary Clinton ? got her campaign up and running in the first caucus state -- former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack will today announce his exit from the race for the Democratic nomination.

Vilsack launched his run early and made as much noise as could be expected from a nowhere-in-the-polls candidate with a vague message and even vaguer hopes of raising the funds needed to mount a truly national campaign. But his brief candidacy -- which was quietly advised and encouraged by Democratic strategists with long and close ties to the Clinton camp -- never really amounted to much more than a blocking move for the New York senator with whom he worked closely as a leader of the centrist Democratic Leadership Council centrist.

For his trouble, the Iowan will earn a little bit of speculation about his vice presidential prospects -- nil. And, if Clinton actually wins the presidency, about his Cabinet prospects -- pretty good, if he's willing to settle for Secretary of Agriculture; a bit slimmer if he wants something muscular like Energy.

From the start, Vilsack's job was to present himself as a respectable alternative to the other Democratic candidates who, while he would go nowhere in states other than Iowa, could remain in the running with his fellow Hawkeyes until it was time to get out of Clinton's way. .......(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.thenation.com/blogs/thebeat?bid=1&pid=168818

[Critters2]

1. He was screwed by the DLC. This just proves that the DLC is really

just the HRC campaign committee.

[John Q. Citizen]

2. he was a willing shill for the DLC. He wasn't screwed by them. At least not according

to the article.