Spin Cycle

The latest Democratic debate is tonight at 9 pm in Philadelphia on NBC. Obama and Edwards have indicated that they plan to try to sharpen differences with Clinton on Social Security, Iraq, Iran, taking money from lobbyists etc., and the Clinton campaign is doing its best to frame this as "desperate attacking guys go negative."

Here's a Mark Penn memo, and here's an advance that frames the debate just like Clinton wants: "Clinton Gets Ready To Be Rumbled." Even Bill Richardson seems to be acting as a surrogate (or vice-presidential wannabe?), saying in an interview today, "I think that Senators Obama and Edwards should concentrate on the issues and not on attacking Senator Clinton."

This, as many have noted, is an old Clinton trick. For a woman who is not running as a woman, she and her surrogates have played the victim awfully well when attacked in her Senate races by men, and it's a natural card for any frontrunner to play. On top of that, there's a history of negative attacks backfiring in Iowa -- where the race is still tight.

That being said, there's no campaign if you can't criticize your opponent, is there? Maybe Clinton is warning them not to do it because she's worried that they will.