While I have my ideological disagreements with all of the candidates, I've maintained for quite awhile that any of the top three (for that matter, any of the lower tier) could win the election handily. Given such an anti-Republican mood in this country, the fact the presidency usually changes parties every 8 years, the economy being bad, Iraq, etc, that it should be a walk in the park - or at worst, still a clear win of a few percent.
Now I don't feel that anymore, and not for the reason you think.
Seeing how poorly Hillary's attempts to take down Obama have been going, I can't help but think about the general election. First with the fake PAC scandal, then the inane kindergarten comment, and now the cocaine flap, it seems every attempt Hillary makes to take Obama down washes off him, and makes her look worse.
Hillary's whole appeal was her supposed ability to play hardball. That the Clintons work best when their back is to the wall, and she has what it takes to fight back against the vast right-wing conspiracy. I was never leaning her way, but seeing Obama run as far away from a partisan identification as possible did make me more amenable to her in terms of tone and rhetoric.
Now, it just all seems like a marketing scam to me. If team Hillary's sliming of Obama is so ineffectual and blows up in her face every time, how can we have any expectations she'll do any better (after a hard-fought primary season) against Romney or Huckabee?
At this point, I'm leaning towards agreeing with those who say Hillary can't win - though the Republican candidate could surely lose. Anyone who can blow away a primary lead seems more, not less, likely to blow away a general election lead as well.
Hope I'm wrong, but I guess we'll see.