Or, from the other side: the only way I would support Hillary over a Republican is if the Republican were a seriously terrifying/morally reprehensible person. That means she would have gotten my support over a thug like Giuliani or a Jesus freak like Huckabee, but McCain doesn’t scare me.

Maybe the tide is turning against the Clintons, maybe they’ve finally pushed too far? Maybe the endorsement of such a classy person as Caroline Kennedy matters a lot more than I thought, especially in contrast to the seaminess of the Clintons behaviour.

Sounds like a battle in the backrooms over the heart of the party and Kerry/Kennedy are fully engaged.

If you look at South Carolina, the only demographic in which Clinton really beat Obama was in the white over-60 vote. I’d guess that this is also exactly the small slice of the Democratic party that the dual Kennedy endorsement is most persuasive to.

As an added bonus, it keeps Obama in the headlines right through Clinton’s pseudo-victory in Florida.

Still… I’d put money on Clinton being the Democratic nominee.

Politics is an insider’s game. If Caroline has stayed away from politics her entire life, what does jumping in now mean? Why does she have any credibility? Because she’s JFK’s daughter? Is she suddenly some sort of expert? More so than you? I think not. If I recall correctly, you’ve read the primary tea leaves pretty damn well. Her endorsement is no more credible than that of Chuck Norris, Angelina Jolie, and The Dixie Chicks. Unless, of course, I missed her elevation to Democrat sainthood.

As for Ted, his time on the national stage passed a long time ago. They still love him in my home state, but elsewhere? I don’t really know, but even in MA we don’t see or hear much from him anymore (except for his opposition to the wind farm). And it’s not like he was out front on this, taking a big risk. John Kerry deserves more credit and his endorsement has more weight.

My bigger point is this: the Clinton’s have a well documented track record of political success, they know the game of politics, and play it better than most. Don’t count them out, even if Caroline Kennedy and Ted Kennedy speak up for Obama.

McCain needs someone who complements him where he is weak, which would be a popular governor with solid record on taxes and, if possible, immigration. Pawltney gets talked up a lot and, if he fits the bill, he could get the job (Tommy Thompson could have had the job offered up in a red ribbon if he hadn’t embarrassed himself during the primaries).

Of course, if there is a brokered convention, McCain might be forced to nominate Romney or Huckabee as his running mate to get over the hump on the first ballot, which would probably do him a lot of damage in the general (especially if he is forced to pick Huck).

Incidentially, how does everyone figure Huckabee helps McCain by staying in the race? Huckabee’s supporters have a very sour opinion of Romney and a relatively favorable one of McCain (at least according to Pew). Plus, in a two man race McCain would likely sweep the south due to his military background and Romney’s problematic history on abortion and guns, not to mention his blue blood demeanor and religion. Huckabee at least keeps the South competitive and increases the chance of a brokered convention by preventing McCain from winning enought states on Feb 5 to wrap this up.

To quote Ed Koch from last night: “the beast is dead.”

Romney’s done, he just doesn’t know it yet.

I’m looking forward to more Clinton/Obama bloodletting. I think everyone is vastly underestimating the skill and determination of the Clinton machine. Teddy’s endorsement of Obama is meaningless, and I don’t think Caroline’s adds up to much either. Sure, she’s classy and elegant and beautiful and has always stayed out of politics and the public eye, but that reduces the value of her endorsement.