The media continues to push Barak Obama, who hasn’t even said he’s interested in running for President, as the biggest rival to Hillary Clinton for the 2008 election. The latest example is this article in today’s Washington Post:
On Wednesday night, Sen. Edward M. Kennedy hosted the nine Democratic members of his health and education committee at an intimate dinner in his home in Washington’s Kalorama neighborhood. The surroundings were stylish, the food home-cooked and tasty.
And then there was the entertainment.
The gathering included a former presidential candidate, Sen. Tom Harkin of Iowa, and a close friend of Kennedy’s, Sen. Christopher J. Dodd of Connecticut. But the star attractions were Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York and Barack Obama of Illinois, two junior committee members who may be duking it out for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination in a matter of months.
The air was thick with ambition. “I don’t know why we’re here, Bernie,” Rep. Sherrod Brown (Ohio) quipped to a fellow senator-elect, Rep. Bernard Sanders (I-Vt.), as the guests walked into the dining room.
Neither Clinton nor Obama has formally declared a candidacy, but their rivalry is already the talk of the chamber, an amusing sideshow for Democrats and Republicans — at least the handful who aren’t weighing their own White House bids.
As is typical for Washington, it’s what goes on behind the scenes that provides the most entertainment:
Behind the scenes, of course, it’s a slightly different story. “Don’t tell Mama, I’m for Obama” has become the Obama campaign’s unofficial motto. It’s a reference to Clinton’s nickname as first lady and an example of the conflicted loyalties of many Democratic political aides. Some are talking to both camps about possible jobs in the presidential campaigns. Meanwhile, Democratic senators who are not considering presidential bids of their own are remaining neutral.
But here’s the money quote from the article:
Senators say Obama’s explosive rise has startled Clinton and her advisers, who are mulling how to react. With Obama planning a trip to the early-primary state of New Hampshire on Sunday, they may need to decide soon.
Sooner than they might have expected, I think.
