The Daily News gets a handwritten note Sen. Clinton wrote to Daniel Patrick Moynihan in 2000, while she was running for his seat, that apologized for not taking his advice to be more flexible during the fight over health care reform:
"If I had listened to you about health care in 1994, I would be far better off today - but more importantly - so would the nation's health care system....All I can tell you is I learned my lessons the hard way, which makes them indelible."
The problem: Moynihan urged a compromise plan that would have cut the number of uninsured by half, but Hillary and Bill insisted on their plan to cover everyone, which -- as Moynihan anticipated -- was not doable.
And, that's essentially where Clinton stands today. She has a plan that would achieve universal coverage by cutting costs and mandating that everyone buy coverage. She says she'll be flexible and let Congress negotiate the details, but not the goal. She denounces Obama for proposing a plan to cut the uninsured by making insurance more affordable, because he doesn't have a mandate requiring everyone to buy.
So, what has she learned?
One assumes that was the point of whoever gave the letter to the News. Moynihan's widow has endorsed Obama......