Hillary Clinton’s campaign manager Patti Solis Doyle has quit/been fired (choose the version you believe) and will be replaced by longtime Clinton adviser Maggie Williams — in a shake-up the campaign insists is not a really shake-up but one that has in fact been hinted at in some news reports ever since Mrs. Clinton lost in Iowa.

And with the string of losses this weekend to prime rival Senator Barack Obama, coupled with news that the Maine caucuses are not a political cakewalk for Mrs. Clinton as many had predicted (UPDATE: Obama won the Maine caucuses), it’s more clear that ever that either the timing of this is an incredible, amazing, stunning coincidence — or that Solis Doyle is being shoved out of her campaign manager’s office door.

The best report on this that puts it into context comes from the Wall Street Journal:

Hillary Clinton campaign manager Patti Solis Doyle stepped down today as the candidate braces for more loses in the five states and the District of Columbia that hold contests this month.

So the Clinton campaign is shoring up its resources and fortifying its forces for bad news to come. MORE:

The campaign announced today that Solis Doyle would be replaced by Maggie Williams, a senior adviser to Clinton and a former chief of staff to the first lady. Solis Doyle will stay on as an adviser and will travel with Clinton.

In an email sent to campaign staff, Solis Doyle said she was stepping down for personal reasons. “This has already been the longest presidential campaign in the history of our nation, and one that has required enormous sacrifices from all of us and our families,” Solis Doyle, 46, said in the email that was forwarded to The Wall Street Journal.

On Saturday, Clinton lost to rival Barack Obama in Louisiana, Nebraska, Washington state and the Virgin Islands. He is expected to win all three contests on Tuesday in what is known as the “Potomac Primary”
when Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C., hold contests. This would bring his total to 22 states, if he also wins in Maine, compared to Clinton’s 12 states.

The two candidates are practically tied when it comes to delegates. As of yesterday, Clinton had 1,125 delegates compared to 1,087 for Obama, according to an Associated Press tally.

Keep in mind this as well: Much media and weblog coverage has been pegged to the idea that if the two campaigns are even, Mrs. Clinton could be way ahead in the Super-delegates and possibly get the nomination if — under the party’s present operative rules — they cast their votes for Hillary Clinton. But if Obama keeps winning and pulls ahead (a) it may not be as easy to win with Super-delegates (b) Super-delegates (many of them politicians who are elected to office) will be under incredible pressure to vote as their constituents have voted in the primaries.
As the Journal notes, it isn’t just the string of losses that has been stunning. It’s the MARGIN of Obama’s wins over Clinton that have to be giving the Clinton campaign fits:

Obama didn’t just win the three states that voted on Saturday, he won by huge margins. In Nebraska, 68% of caucus-goers picked Obama, compared to 32% for Clinton. The Illinois senator won by a similar margin in Washington state.

The losses have been attributed to early mistakes within the campaign. After early warnings to avoid campaigning in Iowa all together, Solis Doyle led a push to campaign hard in the state. Clinton came out with a third-place finish after pouring millions of dollars and nearly a year of efforts into winning in Iowa.

The loss cost her valuable resources and momentum that some political pundits say are still hurting her campaign.

Clinton advisers denied speculation that Solis Doyle’s resignation could signal a broader shakeup within the campaign. “Maggie and Patti and will work very closely together,” said campaign spokesman Mo Elleithee. “We expect a seamless transition.”

The latter is the typical take on staff shake-ups and major corporate regime changes that anyone who has worked for a company or big corporation has heard coming from higher-ups to mask a..shake-up. The bottom line is: given the TIMING of this, it’s clear that the Clinton camp felt something had to be done ASAP.

Steve Clemons suggests one reason why this may be happening now:

Maybe this is part of the reason:

Maine numbers so far:

And it looks like yet another Obama caucus blowout:

No hard numbers yet, but Obama wins Houlton by about 20 votes.

Obama wins Rockport, carrying 8 delegates to Hillary’s 3.
Obama takes Fryeburg 67 to 17
Obama takes York 414 to 225
Clinton takes Rumford 52 to 37
Clinton takes Dixfield 16 to 14
Clinton takes Mexico 27 16
Clinton takes Byron 1 to 0
Obama takes Hanover 6 to 2
Obama takes Gardiner 129 47 with 2 uncommitted
Clinton takes Old Orchard Beach 134 to 128
Obama takes Hampden 179 to 70
Obama takes Wilton 87 to 30
Obama takes Cape Elizabeth 550 to 217
Obama takes Deer Island 6 to 1
Obama takes Winterport 7 to 4
Obama takes Machiasport 2 delegates to 1O
Obama takes Ellsworth 184 to 100
Obama takes Bristol 7 to 2
Obama takes Bangor (District 15) 16 to 8
Obama takes Presque Isle 63 to 60
Obama takes Stonington 48 to 24
Obama takes Scarborough 401 to 283

Yes, We Can!

Here’s Kos’ own take on it:

The knives inside the Clinton campaign were out for Patty Solis Doyle, and her enemies finally succeeded…I liked Patty. It’s rare to have high ranking Latinos anywhere in politics, and rarer still to see Latinas in positions of real power and influence. Reports have suggested she was too much of a micromanager, and discontent over her leadership has leaked into news reports ever since Clinton’s Iowa defeat. Once Williams joined the campaign, this transition appeared to be inevitable. Williams was Clinton’s chief of staff when she was First Lady.

Michelle Malkin has another twist on it:

It was just a little over a month ago that Hillary Clinton’s campaign manager, open borders activist and Norman Hsu guest Patti Solis Doyle, was enjoying the spotlight and basking in glory. The self-styled “Latina Queena” was profiled in the Wall Street Journal as Hill’s soul sister and primary foe of the “white boys” in the Clinton camp.

Well, the Latina Queena’s politics of identity ain’t working so well for Hill. And now it’s so long, Solis Doyle. Who’s back in? Another moldy oldie from the Clinton closet: Maggie Williams….If you can’t remember Maggie Williams….She was knee-deep in the Johnny Chung scandal.

My DD’s Jonathan Singer (who is a former TMV co-blogger) put it into perspective this way:

Steve Clemons uses the term “fired” to describe this action, though I have not yet seen that term in other reports (which tend to put the emphasis of the story on Solis Doyle “stepping down” or “quitting”).

Either way, this is pretty big news. Campaigns that believe they’re moving in all cylinders in the right direction don’t generally see shakeups at their highest ranks — particularly not in the middle of balloting. That is not to say that this news necessarily spells trouble within the Clinton campaign. Nevertheless, with little more than three weeks until Texas and Ohio hold their presidential primaries — nominating contests that now appear key to Clinton’s strategy of slowing down Barack Obama’s momentum out of the mid- to late-February states and ultimately to ensure that she wins the Democratic nomination — if the campaign is spending as much time dealing with new internal hierarchies and plans as it is organizing, it could be problematic for team Clinton.

And, indeed, no matter what twist you give it, it is not the sign of a campaign that is going super smoothly but of a campaign that feels there’s a need for some changes rather quickly.

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