Some Say Hillary Clinton Is Too Cautious

Hillary Clinton is considered the frontrunner for the 2008 Democratic nomination but there are growing concerns about where she is positioning herself politically. Some would argue that instead of showing leadership, she watches the polls too much; and others argue she's trying too hard to be Republican lite.

There are other issues that are not explicitly talked about but that are going to have to be discussed in terms of what Clinton's election to the White House would mean: what, for example, would Bill Clinton's role be? If the former president stays too close to the White House, some will argue that a Hillary Clinton presidency is just a gimmick to get Bill Clinton back in the White House for a third term. But if Hillary's husband stay too far away from the White House, the tabloids will have a field day claiming Clinton's marriage is in trouble (this side of the issue the media has no trouble focusing on).

Steve Thomma of the Knight Ridder Washington Bureau has an article on the growing concerns about Hillary Clinton's cautiousness:

As she kicks off her campaign Wednesday for a second term, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York carries the image of a leader of her party and the expectation she'll be the front-runner for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination.

Yet many Democrats and analysts think she's failed to lead at a pivotal time for her party and the nation, complaining that she's been overly cautious and timid in her first term. They contend that she's remained a backbencher on major issues such as the Iraq war and immigration. And they say she's squandered the unique platform her celebrity gives her to put other issues in play, such as expanding health care.

The approach may help or hurt her political career. But it's angered or frustrated some Democrats who want more from her, and has contributed to the buzz within the party for former Vice President Al Gore as a more forceful champion heading into the 2008 campaign.

I wish Hillary Clinton well and I promise to find some favorable articles on her in the near future since I've been posting on other possible Democratic presidential contenders. There's no question that Clinton is doing a good job of representing New York but sooner or later she needs to answer the many questions that Democrats have about her. I should add that the times have changed very much in the last six years and what worked for Bill Clinton in the 90s might not work for a Hillary Clinton presidency, and she may need to show that she understands the times and the many new problems facing the nation.