Senator Clinton for President -- not

On another trip to the East Coast. There's got to be something in the water. Right coast liberals, apparently without irony, pine for a Hillary Clinton run at the White House.

No candidate put forth by the Democratic Leadership Council ought to be taken seriously by real Democrats, nor, unless we are completely incapable of learning from experience, will any be. Bill Clinton aside, Democrats can't win as GOP-lite. And though it may be gaining her ground in troglodytic villages upstate, Mrs. Bill's recent, um, flexible embrace of "moderation" doesn't recommend her as the standard bearer of the people's party.

President Clinton -- bless his icy heart, he'd clobber the Republicans again if only he could run -- was the greatest Republican president since Lincoln, but we don't need another.

It is way past time for a Democratic candidate for president who stands for something, in the manner of FDR, HST and LBJ.

Senator Clinton is positioning herself as the next John Kerry; how do you expect that will turn out? The last thing needed is another "progressive" campaigning on the promise that s/he will run the empire better than the other guy.

How about this?: Let's move the 2008 convention up to, say, next week. Let's nominate Hillary and, so we can feel really good about ourselves, let's make the candidate for veep someone, such as the sainted Barack Obama, we might actually wish to have as president.

Then, facing certain defeat anyway with the newly "centrist" Senator Clinton heading the ticket, we can concede immediately, and save ourselves a lot of time, money and heartbreak.