On Clinton

A reader writes:

You're the guy who's supposed to be an independent thinker, just wrote a book, but can't quite voice what he doesn't like about Hillary, so he falls back on linking no-substance 1984 propaganda ads or praises Maureen Dowd for her usual smears and character assassination (labelled "insightful"? Just like any other 13-year-old at the mall?).

How about taking a day off blogging and instead of playing with your dogs, try to at least come up with some sensible written explanation for your stand?

In my defense, I have defended her reasonable positions on the Iraq war, and don't regard her policy proposals as uniquely half-baked or far too liberal for my taste. I come back to character, which I've learned matters a lot. I simply see her opportunism and focus-group politics to be disconcerting. This isn't about gender. My long passion for Margaret Thatcher should lay that to rest. But I see in Clinton the antithesis of Thatcher: an instinct always to say what she thinks we want to hear. At this point in time, America needs better.