Be Glad You Don't Live in New Hampshire

I pity the poor folks who live in New Hampshire and are constantly bombarded by wanna-be presidents tromping through their diners and social clubs. And now, the local TV watchers will be getting a treat as well:

Hillary Clinton isn't running for president, but her campaign already has started in New Hampshire.

A group, Hillary Now!, this week will run TV ads in Manchester, Concord, Portsmouth, Salem and Nashua, pushing the New York senator for president in 2008. The group has no official ties to Clinton's office, but its president, Bob Kunst, of Miami Beach, said he is laying the foundation for her possible bid for the presidency.

"Hillary is the strongest Democrat. She's the most popular woman in the country," said Kunst, who believes the polarizing senator will attract votes from Republicans who are unhappy with the Bush administration.

"The party simply says, 'Well, Hillary divisive, Hillary controversial.' We say that is an asset, not a liability," Kunst said. "Nobody gets attacked like her, but on the other hand nobody has the support like her." ...

Only night owls will see the animated ad, which airs Tuesday through Thursday on cable news from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. The commercial casts Clinton as President Bush's trash collector, emptying trash cans labeled "Iraq," "War on Terror" "Health Care" and "Budget" into a garbage truck for "Bush's Mess," while a giggling President Bush hides on the White House lawn.

State Republican chairman Warren Henderson declared the advertisement "vintage Democrat.... It's all about complaining and not one specific solution," he said.

Expect lots more of the same in the coming years.