Be Patient - It's Far Too Early For Hillary To Announce Anything About 2016

(This caricature of Hillary Clinton is by DonkeyHotey.)

Last Saturday, in a speech before Iowa Democrats, Senator Chuck Schumer (D-New York) endorsed Hillary Clinton for the presidential election in 2016. He said, "Hillary's experience is unrivaled and her vision is unparalleled. . .I am urging Hillary Clinton to run for president and, when she does, she will have my full and unwavering support."

Schumer is not the first to do this. Last June, Senator Claire McCaskill (D-Missouri) did the same thing, saying that coming out publicly in support of Clinton "was an important thing to do right now." And a couple of months ago, some supporters even established a super-PAC dedicated to helping Clinton become president.

For her part, Clinton has been gracious -- thanking those who want her to run, but saying it's too early and she has not made a decision about a possible run for president. And that's exactly what she should be doing right now (even if she has secretly already decided). It's still three years before the next presidential election -- far too early to announce even an intention to run for office.

Making an announcement at this early date would gain Clinton nothing. It would just hang a huge target on her back for the GOP to take shots at. I know they are already taking potshots at her, but saying bad things about her while she's just a private citizen just makes them look mean-spirited and petty. Once she declares as a candidate, the attacks will be viewed as politics (and even expected).

Clinton is just being smart. She doesn't need to make herself a candidate for at least another year and a half. I'm sure those already endorsing Hillary have the best of intentions, but they need to let her do this the right way. They may think they are helping, but they're not. She already has a huge lead among Democrats (and over all possible GOP opponents). Endorsing her at this early date won't improve her chances, but it might lend some credibility to the GOP attacks.

Her time will come (if she wants it). Be patient.

Democrat "Goes To Bat" For McCain

Make no mistake about it -- Senator Claire McCaskill (D-Missouri) is a supporter of Barack Obama for president. She has pledged to work hard to see that Obama gets elected. But she is also a believer in fair-play.

Thursday morning, she read an article in the New York Times that said John McCain may not legally be eligible to run for president. The question is whether he is a "natural born" citizen as required by the Constitution. McCain is the son of a Navy veteran, and he was born in the Panama Canal Zone while his father was stationed there.

No one born to a military family while stationed outside the United States has ever been elected president, so the matter of what constitutes a "natural born" citizen in this kind of case has never been tested. Most people probably believe a child born to a citizen in the military and stationed outside the U.S. is "natural born", but there are some who believe you would have to be born on U.S. soil.

Senator McCaskill has decided to settle the matter. She is introducing a bill in the Senate that would remove any lingering doubt as to McCain's citizenship. She wants the Congress to go on record as saying that children born to U.S. military personnel while serving on foreign soil are "natural born" citizens. I applaud McCaskill's efforts.

I would never vote for McCain, and I hope he is defeated in November by the Democratic nominee. Like McCaskill, I will work hard to see the Democrat wins. But I want the Democrat to win fair and square at the ballot box -- not in a court battle over some arcane legal issue.

I know there are some right-wing Republicans who believe in winning at all costs, whether in court or any other way. Good examples are State Senator Kim Brimer in Fort Worth this year, and George Bush in Florida in 2000. But Democrats have always believed in fair play, and we should hold ourselves to a higher standard.

I hope all Democrats will get behind McCaskill's bill and quickly pass it. And then get down to the hard work of making sure John McCain loses in November in a fair election.