Derb – It doesn’t shock me that Andrew Sullivan coyly half-suggests (based upon his increasing sympatico with you) that he’d vote for Hillary. But you Derb? You?

I know it was merely a flutter of a feeling, like the onset of gastrointestinal distress after eating at the Holiday Inn buffet. But come on. The category errors in your reasoning are staggering. So Hillary is tough. So Hillary is icy. If you find that attractive in a woman or a politician, that’s fine as far as it goes. But steadfastness for the wrong cause is not reason for intellectual sympathy. Respect? Sure. I think Barney Frank is a remarkably sharp and incisive guy, that doesn’t mean I’d consider voting for him.

What are these circumstances you could see voting for her? What puddle of goo would have to win the Republican nomination for you to cast the ballot for her? Standing up to the sensible-shoed gals of the Children’s Defense Fund is one thing, but how do you see that iciness paying off in foreign affairs? In domestic affairs? If she’s a stiletto, I sincerely doubt she’d cut in a direction of your choosing.

Indeed, this move to the center is perfectly consistent with the Klein thesis and your post. She has willpower enough to do what is politically required when required. That’s not a sign she’s actually changed her views based on reflexion. She’s changed her positions based on perceived necessity.