Voters flirt with change

[babylonsister]

Voters flirt with change
By Scot Lehigh
Globe Columnist / December 5, 2007

THE BATTLE between Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and John Edwards has long been cast as experience versus change - and now change is on the move.
more stories like this

Her lengthier service in the US Senate, combined with her days as first lady, has given Clinton the aura of a candidate ready on day one to be president, while Obama and Edwards are seen as less experienced figures whose real appeal is the more dramatic change they represent. And as for the truly experienced Democrats, Bill Richards, Joe Biden, and Chris Dodd? With the media focused on a three-horse race, they simply haven't garnered the attention they merit.

For most of the year, the clear advantage was Clinton's. But now, with campaign crunch time upon us, the dynamic is starting to shift - and it obviously has the Clinton campaign rattled.

The growing desire for change is most evident in lead-off Iowa, where a couple of new polls show that Obama has caught Clinton and may even have inched a little ahead, with Edwards a very close third.

You can certainly see why Obama is generating renewed excitement. When he's good, he's very, very good - and on Sunday night in Boston, the Illinois senator had a large crowd enraptured as he made his case.

Clearly worried, Clinton is now questioning Obama's political courage and commitment - and even suggesting that there may be issues with his character.

more...

http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2007/12/05/voters_flirt_with_change/