Here’s my latest posting on KELOLAND.com—It’s Too Soon to Crown Hillary Clinton

An excerpt:

It’s not often I quote Republicans at lenghth, but former Reagan speechwriter Peggy Noonan has an incisive column in today’s Wall Street Journal (subscription required) that should make all of us Democrats take notice.

It’s too soon to give the Democratic Presidential nomination to Senator Hillary Clinton.  We Democrats have too many other good candidates—with one in particular—that we need to look at, study, and consider.

An excerpt from Ms Noonan:

… Mr. (Barack) Obama often seems to be thinking when he speaks, too, and this comes somehow as a relief, in comparison, say, to Hillary Clinton and President Bush, both of whom often seem to be trying to remember the answer they’d agreed upon with staff. What’s the phrase we use about education? Hit Search Function. Hit Open. Right-click. “Equity in education is essential, Tim …”

You get the impression Mr. Obama trusts himself to think, as if something good might happen if he does. What a concept. Anyway, I’ve started to lean forward a little when he talks.

But he doesn’t stand a chance, right? His main competitor, Mrs. Clinton, is this week’s invincible. She broke through 50% for the first time in a big national poll — 53% saying they would support her, a full 33 points more than Obama. Her third-quarter fund raising beat everyone else’s. “It’s all over but the voting,” said Rep. Tom Petri, who will probably get pummeled a bit by the campaign for premature triumphalism. But he only said what a lot of people are starting to think… .

We are 13 months away from the general election.  That is an eternity.  But because of the front end loading of the primaries (except, of course, South Dakota’s, which is another upcoming column), it could be all done except the confetti clean up in February or March for the two parties’ nominees.

Frankly, Sen. Clinton gives me pause.