A dime's worth of difference

Yglesias claims that the difference between the two major US political parties over the last six years is obvious and significant. I really want to agree but why did they not push back hard on the claims made to justify the Iraq War Resolution? And whatever claims you might like to make about Dems requiring a majority in the Fall of 2002, how does that square with their current inability to maintain initiative on the question of Iran?

Rudy

Rudy Giuliani is running because he knows this is his last, best shot at it. Will he occupy a similar position (vaguely positive, post-9/11 halo, etc.) in the public psyche 4 years from now? Unlikely. If Rudy's honest with himself he knows this, but hey, why not test the water?

Clinton 2008

Yglesias notes that the blogosphere may be too charitable towards Clinton's chances in early primary states. I tend to agree, and would add that Clinton seems far more to me like a known quantity than Obama and Edwards. This cuts both ways. One would assume that if there are skeletons in Hillary Clinton's closet, we would have heard of them by now (see Wikipedia if you have doubts on that score). Similarly, I think she's such a public figure that many more people (than in the case of Obama or Edwards) must have already made up their minds about her. I.e., what could she say that would significantly change how she appears to the electorate?