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Posted
Tuesday, October 30, 2007 12:55 PM
| By
Christopher Beam
Obama announced
over the weekend that he plans to
start talking tough with Clinton.
Then yesterday, Edwards lobbed the first grenade, attacking
Hillary’s integrity in a lofty speech
his campaign billed as “definitional,” “Senator Clinton's road to the middle
class,” he said, “takes a major detour right through the deep canyon of
corporate lobbyists and the hidden bidding of K Street in Washington -- and
history tells us that when that bus stops there it is the middle class that
loses.”
Both attacks come at slightly different angles. Obama challenges
Hillary’s policy ideas. He’s been tweaking her for her Iran vote—not to mention her Iraq
authorization—and pushing her to give details on how she’d fix Social Security.
(So far, she won’t say whether she’s willing to raise the retirement age or
lift the cap on collecting Social Security taxes.) On Iran, he’s
questioning her judgment. On Social Security, he’s daring her to give a straight
answer. But in both cases, he can dodge her accusation that he has “abandoned
the politics of hope” by insisting that he’s focusing on policy.
Edwards, meanwhile, is going after Hillary’s character. He
pointed out yesterday that she has “taken more money from Washington lobbyists than any candidate from
either party -- more money than any Republican candidate.” He’s not just
talking about policy tweaks. He’s saying that she’s part of the “bankrupt ways
of Washington.”
It’s risky to sell the primary as a referendum on character, since personal
attacks never reflect well on the attacker. But Edwards knows that for some voters,
Hillary is on shaky ground already. An extra tremor, he figures, and the earth
will open up.
With attacks coming from both sides—perhaps literally—Hillary
will have to play some serious D. But it could also play to her advantage. If
they go too hard on her, they might come off looking like bullies. If they go
too easy, she could just swat them away with a laugh and a joke about getting
attention from men. Either way, they will only solidify her status as the one to beat.