Tim Russert, who I think is a terrible interviewer, had Hillary Clinton and Newt Gingrich on Meet the Press today. Here's the transcript but basically, they both said that while the early stages of the Iraq invasion were masterfully done, we have been botching up the occupation and restructuring in ways that may have dire consquences. I suspect the reponse to these remarks will be to accuse Senator Clinton of being a craven, partisan, America-hating Liberal, and to pretend Newt Gingrich and other card-carrying Conservatives who are saying the same things don't exist.
Russert's main goal in the hour seemed to be to get Senator Clinton, who has said repeatedly that she will not accept the Democratic nomination for president in 2004, to say it even more irrevocably. He asked her over and over, and it was even more childish on the show than it reads in the transcript. I half expected him to say, "If all eight current Democratic candidates were to die in a bus crash and the entire party rose up as one to beg you to run, do you swear on the life of your children that you would not accept the nomination?"
Then later, he asked Gingrich, "Will Newt Gingrich ever seek elective office again?" and let him get away with answering, "Listen, I?m a historian. You never say never. But I doubt it very much." If Hillary had given that answer, the headline would be, "Hillary Opens Door For Presidential Bid."