Hillary Clinton's plan to respond to damaging news that has taken the air out of her pre-campaign blitz was met with a single reaction from Democrats: It's about time.
More than a week has passed since The New York Times reported that the former secretary of State conducted all of her official business on an unauthorized, homebrew email server. Even more time has elapsed since news that her family's foundation was taking foreign donations.
Now, party operatives and strategists are welcoming the first signals they've seen from Clinton World, saying Clinton must speak publicly about these controversies if she intends to reclaim the news cycle before her expected campaign launch in April. Equally important, Clinton needs to calm the fears of Democratic supporters and donors who might be getting skittish about the strength of her campaign.
But Democrats acknowledge that while her actions will help, this planned press conference will not be the end of questions about her actions and motivations. In other words, even Clinton's supporters realize the story isn't going away.
Since the email story broke, the carefully choreographed set of public appearances meant to build momentum in the final weeks before her expected campaign announcement have been completely overshadowed. Her speech to the 30th anniversary gala of the pro-Democratic women's group EMILY's List, along with the long-planned launch of her "No Ceilings" report on global female equality and participation, were noteworthy more for her continued silence about the swirling controversy than the substance of her speeches.