Maybe Hillary IS That Unpopular

Does anyone remember Jeremiah Wright and Tony Rezko?

Or is news like this just a sign that the Democratic Party – and America in general – really, truly is sick of the Clintons once and for all?

A new national Democratic primary poll from Diageo/Hotline (.pdf) (March 28-31, 342 Dem RV, MoE +/- 5.3%) shows Obama leading Clinton by 12 points, after the two had remained close in similar polls in previous months. On negative campaigning, 42% felt Clinton had unfairly attacked Obama, while 22% felt Obama had atttacked Clinton unfairly.

Per his usual excellent output, Mark Steyn has the most eloquently biting pre-mortem on the Clinton campaign, saying it looks like “last call for Hillary”:

It’s 3 a.m., and your children are safe and asleep. But there’s a phone ringing in the White House. And ringing and ringing and ringing. Kim Jong-il No Dong missiles are heading for every major West Coast city, but the president’s not picking up because at 2:57 a.m. the Secretary for Soccer Moms called to alert her to the growing crisis caused by the lack of federally mandated children’s bicycling helmets. When the powder keg goes up, who do you want in the White House? Hillary Rodham Clinton, whose customized MCI Friends & Family & European Foreign Ministers & Overseas Dictators plan allows her to receive unlimited incoming calls between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m.? Or John McCain, who’d bawl out the White House operator for waking him up to take a call from the Director of the Federal Bike Path Agency?…

Sen. Clinton was the establishment candidate running in a party addicted to novelty (in candidates, that is; its policies remain mired in the 1960s). Hill calculated that, given the Dems’ deference to identity politics, her gender would give her enough novelty to sail through. But Obama trumped that, and now it’s eternally three in the morning, and the phone doesn’t stop not ringing.

(Go on, read the whole thing, I’ll wait.)

Still, a fair warning: Never, never, never assume any of the Clintons are dead politically until not a single vital sign remains. While Hillary figures to fight it out as long as inhumanly possible, it’s becoming harder and harder to see how she can secure the nomination. Not that I’m against her scorched earth campaign of anything like that.

For those most keen on the Republicans maintaining control of the Executive branch, things couldn’t have played out much better so far. For Democrat loyalists, it’s been bruising and painful, and it isn’t over yet. For everyone else – well, by the time this Democratic presidential primary is through, either American cynicism or apathy – or both – about the political process may be nearing all-time highs.

And the end result might be our biggest surprise: Is there a President McCain in our future?