Hillary 2016?

Within the pundit class, there's a lot of twittering - not the electronic kind - about a possible Hillary versus Biden contest in 2016.

Without a doubt it's the most inane drivel I've come across since I last watched a bit of Fox News. (Shep Smith's program notwithstanding; his anchoring I can almost stand.)

You have two lions, two very savvy political operators with Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton. They are not going to tangle in some silly primary. First off, I don't think Joe will run. Secondly, he's too canny to run against Hillary. She, in turn, is not going to run against him.

I do think Hillary will run in 2016. I think Chris Christie will run, as well - he'd love to be her opposition, but I don't think it'll happen. The belligerent far right conservatism that infects the GOP will still be a potent force then, and many of those people blame him for embracing The Prez just after Hurricane Sandy. The Democrats have no one else waiting in the wings. Oh, some governor somewhere will likely be practicing hearing "Mr President", but it's unlikely they'll get much further than an early rehearsal.

People like Hillary. Joe Biden is not going to ignore that fact, and I simply don't think he's going to run. I think he's seen what that job requires, he's clearly friends with the President and he's going to walk away saying "I did a good job!" - and he can do that because he is doing a damn fine one. But the thing that really persuades me Hillary could be a significant contender? Perhaps a winner? America is changing, the Republicans aren't changing with it and Hillary is still a supremely ambitious, and very savvy political operator. I still think Hillary would be an excellent president.

Carolyn Ann