Hints of peace on the Hillary Clinton-Barack Obama front

Hints of peace on the Hillary Clinton-Barack Obama front

Tuesday, May 13, 2008, 11:47 PM GMT [General]

Full coverage of the US Elections 2008
Further evidence that whatever Hillary Clinton's immediate plans, some of those closest to her are preparing for the end of the road. 

Just a week ago, Paul Begala, a veteran of the Bill Clinton White House, and the leading black Democratic strategist Donna Brazile, who's officially neutral but clearly pro-Obama, had an entertaining spat on CNN. 

"We cannot win with eggheads and African-Americans," Begala warned, prompting an animated put-down from Ms Brazile, who ran Al Gore's 2000 campaign. You can watch the exchange on YouTube.

But when the two were re-united this week on CNN, it was all sweetness and light. Begala, a self-described fan of negative campaigning, sang the praises of Hillary Clinton's new more mellow style on the hustings. Gone, he agreed happily, were the attacks on Mr Obama; instead the focus was on John McCain. 

Ms Brazile was in cheerful mood, wishing her old friend and occasional rival a happy birthday and calling him "honey". She remarked: "It's a new day in the campaign. Paul is absolutely right. Democrats are ready to unify." 

Even in the wake of last week's North Carolina and Indiana primaries, Begala was still insisting that there was a road to the nomination for the former First Lady. That assurance finally seems to have faded this week. 

Indeed, Begala went on to pay fulsome tribute to the tactics of David Axelrod, Mr Obama's chief strategist. He praised 'Axe' for sending his candidate off to Michigan, Florida and Missouri to campaign for the general election a further sign that Begala realises the Fat Lady is finally clearing her throat. 

"There's nothing I could have thought of that would be half as good as what Axe is doing for Barack. I'm not kidding," he gushed. "And he's doing it even before guys like me could whine about it. So, I'm mad at David Axelrod for being so much smarter than I am." 

Mrs Clinton's expected landslide in West Virginia tonight will once again raise questions about Mr Obama's ability to win white working-class voters, as I blogged about here

But there have been growing signs from some of her most partisan cheerleaders in recent days that now could be the time to ease off the hostilities. Whatever next? A round of Kumbaya?

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