Wampum

I've been thinking a lot about Clinton's 3am ad, particularly after reading the analysis in the lefty blogosphere and mainstream press. Much of the talk focuses on how it was a Pyrrhic victory for Clinton, as McCain and the GOP can just as easily use the argument against Clinton, should she win the Democratic nomination in August. On that point, I disagree.

The ad doesn't succeed solely based on the "experience" meme, and as such, since McCain clearly has more experience than Clinton, of course you will want HIM to be the one picking up the phone at 3am. The fact is, the intended audience is women, particularly mothers and grandmothers. Who do we want to pick up the phone in the middle of a crisis at 3am? A level-headed woman, who will always have in the back of her mind the interests of those sleeping children, or an old man with a reputation of being a hot-headed maverick?