I see Sen. Clinton has announced her bid for the White House. If elected, it will prove the old theory that the order of US presidents from number 41 goes Bush–Clinton–Bush–Clinton.
   Having lived in a country where the national leader is the second consecutive woman in office, I hope Americans do not vote for Hillary because of what she is (a woman), but what she can do for their nation and our world. The same applies to Sen. Obama: vote him if he has the right policies and the strength to lead, not because he is a black man.
   At the end of the day, performance is all that matters. In politics, a woman is no better than a man. Unlike Californian governors, you cannot recall your presidents. I just hope they do not vote in a flip-flopper or a president whose policies are shaped by popularity and not principle.
   Sen. Clinton is going about it the right way though: her website video says she wants to have a ‘conversation’ with America, recognizing the desire for participation that modern Americans have. She talks of ‘dialogue’ and ‘technology’. Take one look at any Gen C, Web 2·0 site, and Hillary has fired the first salvo into that market, using the perfect medium. She chose right: she gets that audience, and she gets reporting to take the message into other audiences. Barak Obama, for all his fresh-thinking image, has so far campaigned in a same-again fashion.
   Mrs Clinton is nothing if not shrewd. I think Republicans, Democrats and John McCain will agree.
   You can also bet that the banners will read ‘Hillary’ as much as ‘Clinton’ when the time comes, because of this same audience’s expectation of democratic informality.
   I don’t know who the Republicans will field, but I am not holding my breath. But no one from the GOP captures my imagination at present. Posted by Jack Yan, 00:38  permalink

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