"PIRRO"TECHNICS FOR THE 2006 CAMPAIGN?

Tony Blankley has a good column in the Washington Times today that looks at the coming "beauty v. the beast" match-up between Westchester County District Attorney Jeanine Pirro and Hillary for her NY Senate seat.

While Mrs. Clinton scores a 63% in the initial poll - before anyone has even heard of Pirro - he notes she has only one place to go from there: down. And in politics, as in sports, it's inevitable that her campaign will try to sit on this lead and play it safe. But that strategy is never a wise one.

Blankley writes:
"If Mrs. Pirro can mount a campaign capable of gaining a reasonable amount of attention acting as an annoying mosquito day after day and month after month, it is likely to bring out the most unappealing imperial manners in Mrs. Clinton — as Queen Hillary ignores or dismisses each of the charges.

As her 63 percent lead dwindles to a still respectable 57 percent or 56 percent or 55 percent next summer, she and her campaign advisers may suddenly feel the need to do something. She may take a liberal stand on a few issues to rebuild enthusiasm in her base south of 96th Street. That may well save her re-election bid from embarrassment, but it would undercut her eight-year presidential strategy of pretending to be moderate."

In any case, it will be fun to watch.