When I think of Hillary Clinton, I am reminded of Bob Dole.

They don't look much alike, but they share at least three things:

1. They are obsessed with the game of politics.



2. Both, when campaigning, repress their true selves.



3. And just as Bob Dole had little chance of getting elected, Hillary's chance is severely limited from the start.

Hillary's problem is the perception of her among the majority of the electorate: that she's a cold liar. Her husband was a warm liar. A lot of people liked him even when they knew he was just putting on an act. Hillary has none of her husband's charm. Understandably, many hate her even more than they hate her ex-Prez spouse.

Bob Dole's sole charm was what his strategists considered his biggest problem: he would occasionally blurt out unexpectedly, saying the darndest things. Sometimes these things were darn close to the truth. They were also, often, hysterically funny. (I especially enjoyed his characterization of a meeting of three former presidents, Carter, Ford, and Nixon? See No Evil, Hear No Evil, and Evil.)

But remember his campaign against Bill Clinton? What a hopeless cause. You could tell he was being handled a mile away.

Same for Hillary. Any real ideas she may possess lie deeply buried under a mound of careful rhetoric and positioning. What's her slogan in Iowa? Let the Conversation Begin! No. Let it end. Until she can speak honestly.

(This is not to say that her recent joke at her husband's expense wasn't funny. It was indeed reminiscent of Dole at his witty best. But if you read the spin her campaign puts on it, it suonds almost like it was a planned joke, something written by a staffer.)

But do you remember Bob Dole's campaign slogan? I had to look it up: The Better Man for a Better America.

Well, Hillary can't use that. And unless Condoleezza Rice runs, she can't use "The Better Woman for . . ." What? The government employee unions?

On an alternative campaign site, votehillary.org, the slogan is Dolesque and boring: Bold Leadership for a Stronger America. Bleech.

Presidential politics is American politics at its worst. In that sense, I think, Hillary's the right person for the campaign. But if she gets the Democratic nomination, the Democratic Party has shot itself in the foot.

If you're a Republican, you might say that's good. But for most of us, we'd rather see better candidates. Wouldn't we?

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