Hillary's Not Ready for Her Close-up

Kathleen Parker, writing in the Orlando Sentinel, thinks that Hillary had a golden opportunity during the State of the Union speech to come off looking....well, human, and blew it:

Hillary blew it.

That was the instant reaction in the room where I watched Tuesday night's State of the Union address. It was such a simple thing, but the senator from New York missed her cue.

It was this: Smile and show the nice people that you're a human being and that you have a sense of humor.

But no. When President George W. Bush tossed a valentine to her husband, former President Bill Clinton, the senator sat stone-faced, nary a crack in her facade.

Catty? Not at all. Shaken, perhaps, but not stirred.
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Inevitably, when Bush made the one light comment of the evening, which happened to make reference to her husband, the camera zoomed to Hillary Clinton. Her lips, painted crimson, were a bright beacon in a sea of dark suits.

Bush was discussing stresses to the Social Security system and mentioned that the first baby boomers were turning 60, including two of his father's favorite people. We're waiting to hear George and maybe Jeb Bush when he says, "Me and President Bill Clinton."

Badaboom! Pan to Hillary.

Nothing, nada, zip. Cheekbones bouncing light back to the fluorescent gods, her ruby lips a door slammed shut for all eternity to the minions of mirth. My mind immediately free-associates to the ancient vampires in Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles, who, cold and bloodless through the ages, had turned to stone.

Clinton was the sphinx the joker couldn't budge. If eyes could emasculate, Hillary's would send a man into the high octaves.

I don't know what was going through Clinton's mind in that moment, but her expression said, "Bug off," or sentiments to that effect. What we do know is that Bill Clinton would have loved it. And laughed. And reminded Americans of his humanness and his ready sense of humor.

His wife, by defining contrast, showed the world that she is something else. That thing -- what is it? It is what she isn't: human, gracious and humorous.

As poll driven and political as that woman is, you'd think someone around her could coach her on some basic human humility and graciousness, but maybe for her it's too late. People are not attracted to candidates who look mad all the time, or who can't laugh at themselves. Whatever her qualifications might be (and I certainly don't think of her as highly as the author of this article does), her personality, or lack thereof, will keep her from appealing to the great American middle, and she needs those folks to have any chance of winning.