Clinton fine one to talk about Obama's friends

There certainly is no decent defense to be made of Barack Obama's friendships with the likes of Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Louis Farrakhan, weatherman Bill Ayres and his wife Bernadette Dorn, or confidence man Tony Rezko. These are nut cases from the most radical fringe of American leftist thought, and most Americans, if they knew, would shudder at the idea of a President of the United States keeping this kind of company.

That said, the one with the least room to talk is Hillary Clinton. The collection of radical leftists, druggies, thugs, crooked fundraisers seeking favors--even her own brothers, Hugh and Tony Rodham--that have surrounded Bill and Hillary Clinton for years would be at least as embarrassing, if not more so, than Obama's rogue's gallery.

It could be even worse, since Bill was actually president for eight years, and had the opportunity to really appoint these people to high office, grant them presidential pardons or banish them altogether if they became too big a problem (you could ask Vince Foster and Ron Brown, if they were still around, how that's done).

So it is on the campaign trail, that Hillary is trying to come across as Mrs. Clean, while casting aspersions at Obama for the associations he has. There is no doubt Obama has being dragged down by his "friends." He looks tired and worn, and seems to be just going through the motions. Being much more brazen to start with, Hillary is coming across in these closing days of the Indiana and North Carolina primaries as the cool customer, confident and strong.

I'd just as soon the fight continues all the way to the Democratic national convention in Denver, so Clinton victories in these primaries are the best way to guarantee that. I just wish Obama was putting up a better fight, at this point.