Unleashed

Hillary showed cajones this week by releasing a healthcare plan that, no matter how moderate, was the first major potential opening for her GOP pretenders to set her on a long death spiral intended to climax next November.

Instead she seems to have come prepared and Presidential. Via MyDD, a report on her first Sunday on the major network talk show circuit and how she handled the questioners, from ABC to Fox:

They didn't lay a hand on her. Just from a pure political standpoint, a truly stunning performance from a Pro Bowl caliber politician. Clinton knew she was eating Chris Wallace's lunch. There were times when it looked like she was fighting back a grin, she was having so much fun. She knew these guys had been dreaming about roughing her up all year.

This was a very significant milestone in the campaign -- the day she took her message national. Those of us who have been following the Democratic race have seen her skills for months. Much of what we heard today is what we've been hearing in stump speeches, Q&As, Democratic debates, etc. But, most of the voters (and most of the clucking pundits), haven't had the opportunity to see her formidable campaign skills -- the relentless discipline to stay on message with a tone of pure common sense and competence -- until today.

She is, in her reactions to Chris Wallace on Fox, funny as hell.

"hwc" sums up the milestone, and I'm interested to know if Nettertainment readers feel the same:

Which brings us to the real importance of today - mark it on your calendars as the day Hillary moved from world of diehard Dems and introduced herself to the country at large. The first time most Americans saw her smile. And, laugh. And talk about the mistakes she's made and the lessons she's learned. And her calm dismissal of partisan attacks. And her relentless focus on the issues important to real Americans in their real lives - like getting out of Iraq, health care, etc. Repeatedly challenging the Republicans to stop silly political attacks and start presenting their plans for heath care and the war in Iraq. With her unshakeable message discipline, she showed just how fluent she can be in talking about these issues. It was, as the Clinton campaign has always talked about, a chance for voters to meet Hillary for the first time.

It will be interesting to see the impact of September 23, 2007 on the Presidential race. My guess is that it was devastating to the other Democratic candidates and to the Republicans. I don't know the cost of five 20 minute slots on national TV, but it's millions and millions worth of exposure. Does it force Obama and Edwards to appear on these shows? Probably. Can they perform like Clinton? The Republican candidates, many of whom are probably getting their first look at Hillary, are almost certainly sitting back at campaign headquarters, drinking their dry martinis, and realizing that they have a formidable candidate to contend with in 2008.

If the Dems end up choosing Hillary, I'm guessing it's going to be early, and then the interesting thing will be how she/they keep the momentum going, in this the longest lead-up to a Presidential election in modern history.

But if she's so sharp right now, I'm guessing she already has a plan.