What's Next for the Clinton Campaign

With Barack Obama going 10-0 since February 5th, the Clinton campaign has been on the ropes. Insider accounts of campaign infighting don't paint a pretty picture, and the lame negative attacks on Obama have failed to stop the bleeding. Today, the NY Times published a story that further illustrates the campaign divisions, with Mark Penn pushing for sharper negative attacks and Mandy Grunwald begging Clinton to consider the future.

Mark Penn, when he's not busy attacking Democratic voters or busting unions, is quite the loser. His claim to fame is being Clinton's pollster for the re-election campaign of '96, a victory that is more the work of Penn's mentor, Tricky Dick Morris. He was also the chief strategist in Hillary's two Senate coronations campaigns. However, he's never won a tough campaign like the one we have now, and his incremental, triangulation style is not suited to this race. This Washington Post profile from April 2007 demonstrates how wrong he was about this campaign.

Mandy Grunwald, to her credit, is one of the few Hillaryland people with actual experience from Bill Clinton's 1992 race. In a lot of ways, that campaign is similar to the one that Obama is running now: insurgent, positive, hopeful. Now, on the other side of such a campaign, Grunwald knows how difficult it is to push back on the momentum, no matter how negative it gets. So she's asking Clinton to think of a possible 2012 campaign, or even a future as a Senate leader.

Ohio and Texas could very well be Hillary Clinton's last stand in this campaign, despite her ability to consistently move the goal posts. Even Bill is acknowledging the stakes, saying at a recent speech in Texas, "If she wins Texas and Ohio I think she will be the nominee. If you don't deliver for her, I don't think she can be." The debate tonight should be an indication of how down and dirty the next two weeks will be. At this point, the campaign needs a major gaffe or scandal from Obama, as it has been proven they cannot make the case for Hillary on their own.