THE QUEEN IS DISPLEASED

Posted at 6:52 a.m. ET

Hillary Rodham Clinton, of late the presumed Democratic nominee for president, is apparently displeased by the emergence of Sarah Palin.  Of course she is.  She might have to run against her someday.  The New York Times reports on the royal discomfort:

ST. PAUL — Advisers to Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton said on Sunday that Senator John McCain’s selection of Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska as his running mate would lead to a greater role for Mrs. Clinton as she campaigned this fall on behalf of her former rival, Senator Barack Obama.

Mrs. Clinton’s friends said she was galled that Ms. Palin might try to capitalize on a movement that Mrs. Clinton, of New York, built among women in the primaries. And Democrats used strong words on Sunday to rebut the notion: Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts said that women would not be “seduced” by the Republican ticket, and Guy Cecil, the former political director of Mrs. Clinton’s campaign, said it was “insulting” for Republicans to compare Ms. Palin to Mrs. Clinton.

Seduced?  Did Kerry say seduced?  And of course it's insulting to compare Sarah Palin to Hillary Clinton.  It's an insult to Sarah.

Ah, but there is nuance.  Let's face it.  Hillary wants Obama to lose.  So her supporters aren't entirely dissing Sarah Palin.  She might, in some ways, be useful to them:

Nevertheless, Clinton advisers said they expected that a bloc of her female supporters would give Mr. McCain a second look because of Ms. Palin, and that Mrs. Clinton was probably Mr. Obama’s best weapon in response. But asked if the Palin pick would lead to a new political marriage between Mr. Obama and Mrs. Clinton, a senior Clinton adviser, Ann Lewis, said: “Not a political marriage. She is not on the ticket. Senator Obama chose Joe Biden as his running mate. Hillary will do what she can to help.”

Did you feel the same knife I did? 

So Hillary is upset with Sarah, but her supporters are still upset with Barack.  You know, this could be a show on CBS at three in the afternoon.  Could run about ten years.  Procter & Gamble, are you listening?

Obama advisers said they had not settled on the number of days that Mrs. Clinton would campaign for the ticket. She has at least one event next week, they said, adding that all indications from the Clinton camp — with which, before the Democrats’ convention last week, post-primary relations were still bumpy — were helpful and positive.

Yeah, right.  Helpful and positive.  Like poison ivy. 

Spectacular election year, isn't it?

September 1, 2008.