OH, I LOVE MISCHIEF-MAKERS LIKE THIS – AT 8:54 A.M. ET:   I never knew that Pete du Pont is such a conniver.  But in a Wall Street Journal piece he makes the case for...Hillary Clinton in 2012:

So what can be done to change America's policies and make our economy stronger? For one thing, we could elect a president with different thinking. Almost any Republican candidate would have that, and, as we will see in a moment, there is one obvious Democrat who would change our course too.

And why would the Democratic Party want to do that? Because the re-election of President Obama is becoming more problematic.

And...

...the most interesting statistic is Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's ratings: 45% favorable and only 35% unfavorable.

That is not surprising, and there are some obvious factors that suggest she might have a chance of defeating President Obama if she were to challenge him for the 2012 Democratic nomination.

It's a pretty strong case:

First, as Peggy Noonan wrote earlier this month, the conclusion one hears from most "normal" American people is that the president "is in over his head, and out of his depth."...

...That means there's a big opportunity for Mrs. Clinton.

Second, she is physically and intellectually strong enough to take on a difficult campaign.

Third, she is one of the most experienced prospective candidates the Democratic Party has had in a long while.

Fourth, she is an experienced foreign-policy adviser who understands the threats to our national security.

Fifth, experience will be even more important to voters in the 2012 presidential election, whose 2008 gamble on someone with little experience is proving costly.

Finally, Washington's deadly left-liberal policies that have propelled the American economy in a very bad direction can be turned around.

Du Pont argues that Obama might well put Clinton on the ticket in 2012.  But...

Mrs. Clinton could put together a very effective campaign to get the nomination for herself.

Considering how badly things are going in America just now, that could turn out to be a slam dunk for her and the disgruntled Democratic Party.

COMMENT:  Well, maybe.  There is one issue not discussed here, and it's the most powerful one of all:  race.  Will Ms. Clinton run against the first black president of the United States, and try to rip the nomination from him?  I doubt it.  The African-American community would never forgive her, and would stay home en masse on election day, essentially dooming Clinton's chances. 

I can see a Clinton run only if Obama declines to run again, or is forced to decline by a visit by Democratic elders to the White House, poll results in hand.  That could happen.

July 15, 2010