This Is an Ex-Candidate

[FrenchieCat]

This Is an Ex-Candidate

Wednesday, May 14, 2008; Page A03
By Dana Milbank

<>
11:45 a.m., Melrose Hotel, Foggy Bottom: It's Day 7 of the Clinton Campaign Death Watch -- a full week since the official arbiter of the Democratic primary, Tim Russert, declared the campaign over and Barack Obama the nominee. Hillary Clinton's advisers continue to insist that the candidate's prospects are very much alive, but the press isn't buying it. Exhibit A: There are two press buses waiting at the hotel here for Clinton's trip to her victory rally in West Virginia, but the entire press contingent doesn't quite fill one. It isn't until the entourage arrives at Dulles Airport that Clinton aides learn that the second bus is still idling, empty, at the hotel.

If there is importance in the results of the primary in West Virginia, the press corps isn't letting on. During the security sweep at Dulles, some play Hacky Sack with a cigarette carton. Awaiting the candidate on the tarmac, two guys from CNN toss a football. Aboard the plane, one member of the press corps entertains his colleagues by flopping down the aisle on his belly, like a fish.

But Clinton, wearing a salmon-colored jacket and dark sunglasses, is all smiles as she boards the jet. She hugs and kisses her campaign chairman, Terry McAuliffe. Still grinning, she helps herself to a cracker with spread from the snack tray as the plane taxis to the runway. And why shouldn't she be happy? Within minutes, Clinton has crossed the Blue Ridge and is over the green hills of West Virginia, home of what she calls the "hardworking Americans, white Americans." This is Clinton Country.

2:57 p.m., Yeager Airport, Charleston, W.Va.: A steep descent brings Clinton's plane to Charleston's hilltop airport. After an appropriate wait, she steps from the plane and pretends to wave to a crowd of supporters; in fact, she is waving to 10 photographers underneath the airplane's wing. She pretends to spot an old friend in the crowd, points and gives another wave; in fact, she is waving at an aide she had been talking with on the plane minutes earlier.


<>
7:30 p.m., South Hall, Charleston Convention Center: The moment the polls close, the networks declare Clinton the winner of the primary. This is no surprise: Exit polls show a 2 to 1 margin for Clinton.

There is no television playing on the red-carpeted floor of the convention center, where all of 89 Clinton supporters have arrived so far. After a 12-minute delay, somebody thinks to turn on the TV in the hall, and the small group breaks into a chant: "It's not over."

MORE......
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/13/AR2008051302862.html

[FrenchieCat]

1. Losta Monty Python quotes sprinkled throughout this article.....

Customer: "Look, matey, I know a dead parrot when I see one, and I'm looking at one right now."

Pet-shop owner: "No, no he's not dead, he's -- he's resting! Remarkable bird, the Norwegian blue, isn't it, aye? Beautiful plumage!"

-- From "Monty Python's Flying Circus"

[NewHampshireDem]

2. Is Hillary's campaign pining for the fjords?

:evilgrin:

[SoCalDem]

7. searching for lupines :)

enjoy:
http://www.blakeneymanor.com/sounds/python/themesong.wav
http://www.blakeneymanor.com/sounds/python/lupinexpress.wav
http://www.blakeneymanor.com/sounds/python/lupins.wav

http://www.blakeneymanor.com/moore.html

[amb123]

49. Hillary Clinton is done done done

Hillary Clinton, Hillary Clinton, done done done the night!
Hillary Clinton, Hillary Clinton, done done done done fight!
She steals done done done
and done done done done dee
Hillary done Hillary dee
done done done!

[FatDave]

69. Perhaps she'll have better luck with the silly party

She could choose Jethro Q. Walrustitty for a running mate

[Tesha]

23. 'Cause Hillary is from those fjords, and the fjords are the home of hard-working...

fishermen and fisherwomen, and Hillary knows hard work!

Tesha

[Crunchy Frog]

3. I've found no fewer than 4 editorial cartoons

portraying her as the Black Knight in Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

It's really sad that she's allowed herself to become Pythonesque.

[frickaline]

21. The Notlob campaign strategy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vuW6tQ0218&NR=1

found it :)

[DevonRex]

42. Frenchie thank you SO much for this. I needed the laugh today.

Heh heh. Shuffled off mortal coil. Heh heh.

[Strawman]

84. Wow. Milbank nailed it. It's getting that absurd.

[greguganus]

4. in fact, she is waving to 10 photographers underneath the airplane's wing.

She pretends to spot an old friend in the crowd, points and gives another wave; in fact, she is waving at an aide she had been talking with on the plane minutes earlier.

What a phony!

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[Eurobabe]

9. As hard as she might try

Hillary could NEVER hide her phoniness, and this is why I never could support her.

Don't want her anywhere NEAR Obama's ticket either. :puke:

[1776Forever]

20. I am with you! And I love your Biden avatar! Go Biden!!! I hope he is in the Administration!!!

:headbang:

[wrando]

31. then you don't want Obama in the white house

Obama has one chance and that chance lies in the votes of Hillary's supporters

[frog92969]

54. I think Roe vs Wade

might bring Clinton people to their senses come the GE.

[CakeGrrl]

75. The voters have one chance to save the Supreme Court and get out of Iraq

And that chance lies in putting a Democrat - Obama - in the White House.

[eridani]

12. Oh, please! It's what politicians do

--when they aren't kissing babies and eating barbeque.

[DangerousRhythm]

25. They wave to pretend people?

Is that really the norm? IMHO, that's worrisome, no matter who does it. :rofl:

[DevonRex]

41. LOL. You cracked me up. Thanks. nt

[eridani]

64. They pose for cameras. You know of one that doesn't? n/t

[DangerousRhythm]

77. I don't know any politicians personally, but...

...I'd still find it creepy if I saw some random person waving and smiling to nobody in particular. Aw, c'mon, you know it's funny. Just a little? ;)

[DeschutesRiver]

79. Agree

That whole big smile, point point finger, wave thing has always made me pause and think, who on earth is she connecting with like that, and why like that?

To learn that she is doing it to either people she has just spent time with, when she should be focusing on the voters who came to see her, or worse, gesturing to thin air, is creepy. And no, I haven't seen any other candidate, on either side of the party fence, doing anything remotely this exaggerated to suggest they are connecting with people who simply aren't even there.

It is like she has invisible friends now.

[eridani]

87. You usually don't get behind the stage sets screenshots

YouTube is changing politics in a big way.

[eridani]

86. Pretty much the same thing as making sure you have the right ethnic mix --

--in background shots. "Staging" is what campaigns do. Clinton has far more serious problems as a candidate than that.

[Bucky]

28. Hopefully they don't get those two things confused.

[tblue37]

65. If they are Republicans, they are eating babies and kissing up at barbecues. n/t

[sniffa]

16. This killed me

:rofl:

[DangerousRhythm]

24. Clap Clap, Point Point

It's probably more exciting to change the game up a bit every now and then, y'know?

:rofl:

[verges]

60. Actually,

I found this particular line to be very sad and pathetic. It can't be fun anymore. As tear-prone as she is; she must be crying herself to sleep at night. Why can't she just stop and save herself and us the embarrassment of it all.

[DeeDeeNY]

76. She does the phony pointing a lot

Every time I've seen a clip of her getting ready to speak after one of the primaries, she opens her mouth in surprise and points to someone in the crowd as though she just spotted some special person. I guess none of her advisors have ever told her how phony it looks.

[David Zephyr]

5. Nice article.

The Clintons keep piling on the debt ($20 Million) and I expect them to give Obama the tab for their "support".

[FrenchieCat]

8. Certainly! They wouldn't have it any other way.....

Easy to see why superdelegates are a bit "apprehensive" about those two. Too bad they weren't able to deal with the Republicans as harshly....maybe we would have gotten our agenda done at that time, instead of the Republican agenda.

[TexasObserver]

6. the public embalming has begun

que the death dirge

[Skwmom]

10. Interesting article. I think my sister-in-law nailed it when she said the

Clintons are just two actors.

[democracy1st]

11. K & R

[RichardRay]

13. How about 'former candidate'?

The woman to whom I used to be married requested that we refer to each other as 'former wife' and 'former husband'. Over the years (it's been quite a few of them, now) I've come to agree with her that the 'ex-wife' term seems a bit harsh. It was a very amicable parting of the ways, although we definitely parted. Being careful about language was one of the tactics for keeping things centered while we found new ground.

It might be useful here.... (Of course, it's 3:45 AM, so maybe I'm just being silly :-).

[Shae]

83. I'll be glad to call her

a former candidate -- just as soon as she starts calling herself that.
B-)

[K Gardner]

14. At 6 in the morning, this is hilarious.. Dana, LOL ! I just read the best OP, and this is for me

the best ARTICLE i've read in 24 hours, so I'm retiring my luck back to bed !

"I know a dead parrot when I see one!"

[hogwyld]

15. I wonder if that steep descent into the airport

Gave Hillary a PTSD flashback?

2:57 p.m., Yeager Airport, Charleston, W.Va.: A steep descent brings Clinton's plane to Charleston's hilltop airport. After an appropriate wait, she steps from the plane and pretends to wave to a crowd of supporters

As opposed to this gem:

VINTON, Iowa - Ever since Barack Obama suggested Hillary Clinton's eight years as first lady were a glorified tea party a few days back, she's looked for an opening to strike back.

On Saturday night in Dubuque she pounced, arguing she risked her life on White House missions in the 1990s, including a hair-raising flight into Bosnia that ended in a "corkscrew" landing and a sprint off the tarmac to dodge snipers.

[bvar22]

45. Yes. They were risking a Tuzla flashback with that steep descent.

We wouldn't want another one of those!
Ducking and running for cover as the sniper bullets ricocheted off the tarmac.

:rofl:

[chascarrillo]

17. "Now, let's see. Who's got my money? Where -- where'd they go, the people with my money?"

This is just getting to be tragic.

[CatsDogsBabies]

18. Only 89 people on hand for her victory??

[Leopolds Ghost]

19. This part is just sad and disturbing. Stepford Hillary -- is she actually a robot?

2:57 p.m., Yeager Airport, Charleston, W.Va.: A steep descent brings Clinton's plane to Charleston's hilltop airport. After an appropriate wait, she steps from the plane and pretends to wave to a crowd of supporters; in fact, she is waving to 10 photographers underneath the airplane's wing. She pretends to spot an old friend in the crowd, points and gives another wave; in fact, she is waving at an aide she had been talking with on the plane minutes earlier.

[AzDar]

26. Tragic...and hilarious.

;-)

[tridim]

66. Too bad there's no photog inside the doorway of the plane.

I bet her face did a 180 the second she was out of view.

[hogwyld]

22. Mornin' kickeroo n/t

[Rosa Luxemburg]

27. That's weird

Frenchiecat I posted this article on DU in the early hours and I guess nobody saw it.

Funny article isn't it!

[FrenchieCat]

70. Yes....Hillaryious!

[tekisui]

29. I like the term "Presumptive Loser".

[wrando]

30. KO's lover speaks nonsense

He should get his head out of KO's lap, (if he has one anymore) and do some serious work. The backlash from this kind of garbage is going to make it impossible for Obama. The more Hillary's people have to hear this foolishness the more likely they will not vote for Obama. Make no mistake ,I can speak for many across this country.

[NYCGirl]

32. I guess you missed the poll where, if the California primary were held today,

Obama would beat Clinton. I'd speculate that would be the case in other early states, too. And I can speak for many across the country, too.

[wrando]

34. irrelevant

without Hillary's army Obama has no chance

[NYCGirl]

37. Is that a threat?

Hillary's Army

[Starbucks Anarchist]

46. Snipers! Run!

[wrando]

52. that's about how intimidating

BO's army is

toY soldiers

[Ken Burch]

62. That doesn't mean we have to say it's OK for her to stay in and keep bashing our frontrunner

when she and her army know she can't win the nom.

I admire your loyalty...but really...what could possibly so special about her that it's worth causing all the chaos and division?

[Clark2008]

35. When did KO become a pariah on this board?

I still think he's quite grand (lap or no lap).

[wrando]

36. well that you should

he advocates for Obama on NBC's dime

can't beat it, but he's still a fat, four eyed, pant load

[Greyskye]

43. You sound bitter.

:hug:

[wrando]

51. bitter enough to support

the opponent of BO

[NeedleCast]

53. If you've voting for McCain

You're on the wrong board...but I suspect you already know that.

[Greyskye]

57. I guess Edwards is dead to you now as well.

Good luck with that.

[Tarheel_Dem]

78. I'm glad you finally admitted it, but you disrupted poorly. Thank you mods!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=user_profiles&u_id=102157

[onenote]

80. i see, your way to insult someone is to suggest that they're gay.

Nice. Very Nice.

Have you washed your sheets?

[babylonsister]

33. Monty Python Sketch Mr. Praline - Dead Parrot Sketch

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XUTBJIV93w&eurl=http://blogs.tnr.com/tnr/blogs/the_stump/archive/2008/05/14/hillary-as-dead-parrot.aspx

[thevoiceofreason]

38. In hunting we call it the death rattle.

[barack the house]

39. I know she has wound us up but let's focus on positivity, negative campaigning puses folks away.

[panAmerican]

40. I may not like Hillary much these days, but as a woman, I'm embarrased for her.

[TwilightGardener]

44. She's pathetic--pretending to wave at "supporters". Jesus. Go away, lady.

[dailykoff]

47. At this point she's completely animatronic.

And we know who sitting in a bunker with his gameboy.

[cyndensco]

48. She and her campaign are pathetic...

[phrigndumass]

50. Good read, Frenchie

:hi: K/R

[bobthedrummer]

55. k&r

[symbolman]

56. KO is in with Dana - bet they'll hammer on this today..

I want to see KO's reaction to her waving at photographers and pointing at an aid while no doubt bugging out those eyes.. Just freaky, she knows Someone in every crowd, wonder if her a-pointees are cured of cancer when she does it :)

Thanks for posting, more people need to see this..

[frog92969]

58. No shame, no remorse.

No Dem IMO.

[juno jones]

59. Mate this parrot wouldn't Vooooomph!

If you put 4 million volts thru it. It's bleeding demised!

I love it.

[onehandle]

61. ...unless she's the VP nominee. nt

[JBoy]

63. K&R.

[concerned canadian]

67. "where are the people with my money"

Now I am starting to feel sorry for her. She has to keep following a bad script and maybe that's why she was shedding

some tears today. Her campaign managers and paid advisers (her enemies really, cuz they've been sucking her and Bill

dry) maybe has something on them.

[crankychatter]

68. Error: You've already recommended that thread.

the ignore function lapse increased my blood pressure

at least this kick is for something positive

[Jim Sagle]

71. Whadda crocka chickenshit bullshit.

[boppers]

72. Fake snipers, fake supporters....

Apparently, tarmacs are something she needs to avoid.

[Major Hogwash]

73. For Hillary, it was all about perception. No substance, just "smile pretty" hand waving.

She can sit on a float in a parade anytime as a queen of the parade, any 17-year old girl can do it. But, where are the answers to the tough issues we face today?

A gas tax holiday just ain't going to cut it.

It's over, we've found our nominee.

[Scurrilous]

74. Kick

:kick:

[moc]

81. BAHAHAHA!

:rofl:

LOVED the Monty Python schtick!

:rofl:

[merh]

82. fabricated photo ops or delusional

2:57 p.m., Yeager Airport, Charleston, W.Va.: A steep descent brings Clinton's plane to Charleston's hilltop airport. After an appropriate wait, she steps from the plane and pretends to wave to a crowd of supporters; in fact, she is waving to 10 photographers underneath the airplane's wing. She pretends to spot an old friend in the crowd, points and gives another wave; in fact, she is waving at an aide she had been talking with on the plane minutes earlier.

The fine line she is allowed to walk - is it group think, does the rest of her campaign staff share her unique perspective or are they just afraid to tell her the truth?

[nolabels]

85. No wonder M$M was trying to get her shooed in for the nomination

She fits right in with their delusional fictitious meme. The fairy tale that almost was.

[bobthedrummer]

88. k