Everything published in and by The Weekly Standard about the Democratic presidential race seems to contain an ulterior motive or two — and that goes for Krazy Kristol and his NYT columns, too — but sometimes, those times being rare, it manages to hit on the truth whether it intended to or not.

Case in point: Noemie Emery’s “An Exceedingly Strange New Respect — Hillary Clinton makes friends in some surprising precincts,” published in the May 12 issue and available online (h/t: Chris Orr).

I have not been alone in pointing out that over the course of the race — but especially since she decided to throw “the kitchen sink” at Obama, which is to say, since the seeming inevitability of her nomination was destroyed) — Hillary has morphed into a Republican. As I put it last month, she has been “presenting herself as the red-blooded Heartland American running against a supposedly out-of-touch coastal elitist. She’s been talking up guns and god, swilling beer and knocking back shots, and pandering to the very people she advised her husband to screw.” A high-profile endorsement from the propagandistic rag of one of the key figures of the vast right-wing conspiracy, Dick Scaife, only proves the point. (Even more so because the Clinton campaign welcomed and made much of the endorsement.)
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Bill “Krazy” Kristol had this to say in his column in the Times yesterday:

I do think I can speak for most of my fellow right-wingers when I say this: We once looked forward with unambivalent glee to the fall of the house of Clinton. Many of us still do. But we also see the liberal media failing to give Hillary Clinton the respect she deserves. So, since we conservatives believe in giving credit where credit is due, it falls to us to praise Hillary.

The fact is Hillary Clinton has turned out to be an impressive candidate.

*****

She is, of course, still behind in the race, and Obama will most likely be the nominee. His team has run the better campaign. In particular, it realized how important the caucus states could be: Obama’s delegate lead depends on his caucus victories.

But Hillary may well be the better candidate…

Riiiiiiiiiiight.

I’m sure he cares deeply about Hillary. (Because, of course, he had nothing to do with destroying Hillarycare way back when.) I’m sure he lavishes such praise on her sincerely and without any ulterior motives whatsoever. I’m sure his view that she’s “the better candidate” reflects thoughtful political analysis rather than extreme partisanship. I’m sure he really wants McCain, upon whom he has long had a serious crush (the krazy neocon hegemonist supporting the crazy warmonger and neo-Cold Warrior), to go up against “the better candidate” in November. And I’m sure his regurgitation of Hillaryland spin (Hillary could be ahead in the popular vote, if you don’t count Michigan and Florida and you twist the caucus results) is just a coincidence.

(Quite the convenient, partisan flip-flopper he is: Back in 2000, he argued against popular-vote-based democracy — you know, when Gore won the popular vote.)
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