Clinton's Swiftboating Themselves

The incredible collapse of the Clinton campaign in the wake of Hillary's disastrous debate performance continues. Big Bill has been out trying to make a victim of his poor little wifey, and even the Dems aren't buying it:

On Monday, in defense of his wife against political critics, Bill Clinton cited the “swift boat” television ads of the 2004 presidential campaign that questioned John Kerry’s patriotism and the campaign commercials in 2002 that suggested Sen. Max Cleland of Georgia was soft on terrorism.

Obama told The Associated Press he was “stunned” to hear Clinton make the comparison. Both Kerry, who commanded a Navy swift boat in Vietnam, and Cleland, who lost three limbs in that war, are decorated veterans who were defeated by Republicans.

Obama said Hillary Clinton contradicted herself at the end of a Democratic presidential debate last week when asked whether she supported a plan by the New York governor to issue driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants. This week, the Illinois senator and former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina have repeatedly reproached her on that subject.

“How you would then draw an analogy to distorting somebody’s military record is a reach,” Obama said.

Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd, another candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination, called the Clintons’ response to the debate “outrageous.”

“To have the former president come out and suggest this is a form of swift boating … is way over the top in my view,” Dodd said in a telephone interview.

The Dem candidates smell blood in the water and they're not holding back. This may be their best chance to knock down Hillary's aura of invincibility.

The Politico has more signs that Hillary was badly hurt in that debate:

Hillary Rodham Clinton’s lead nationally and in New Hampshire appears to have slipped following her shaky performance in last week’s Democratic debate, according to several polls this week.

Clinton remains the front-runner, however by a narrower margin. Her lead in New Hampshire over her nearest challenger, Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, has narrowed from 16 percent prior to the debate to 10 percent following it, according to Rasmussen Reports polling published today.

In Rasmussen’s previous four Granite State polls this year Clinton’s support had never fallen below 37 percent. Today, Clinton finds herself with 34 percent of support among likely Democratic primary voters. Obama follows with the backing of 24 percent of the state’s electorate, and John Edwards trails in third at 15 percent.

The Rasmussen poll follows preliminary findings published Tuesday in a WNBC/Marist Poll, which showed that Clinton’s national support among Democratic primary voters had slipped from 52 percent to 43 after the debate.

A CNN/Opinion Research poll found that Clinton’s national support had ebbed from a high of 51 percent of Democratic voters in October to 44 percent this week. Nationally, the poll found, Clinton’s lead over Obama decreased from 30 points in October to 19 points.

The question now is whether Obama and the GOP candidates can capitalize on Hillary's falling fortunes.