And the winner is. . .

the rest of the field, according to E.J. Dionne, in his analysis of the Clinton-Obama spat. As ever, though, Dionne’s real concern is that the spat may help the Republicans.
Dionne is closest to the mark when he takes a shot at the Clinton and Obama staffs. The candidates’ spat will have no impact on the race — think of it as the first inning of an exhibition baseball game. But just as exhibition games help managers assess their talent, the candidates (especially Hillary) should be wondering about the judgment of the staff member[s] who bit so hard on Geffen’s comments and the aftermath.
John’s take can be found at the AOL blog. He sees Obama as the winner, and I agree that he won the largely meaningless exhibition inning.
UPDATE: Bill Kristol suggests that Geffen’s statement, and the publicity that followed may cause “the thought that Hillary isn’t the ideal nominee [to] spread.” The thought that Hillary is not ideal has been entertained and will be entertained in the natural course of things. Almost every Democrat I know (and I know mostly Dems) is wondering about whether she’s really the one. I doubt that the utterance of the thought by a rich Hollywood leftist with an axe to grind, and the subsequent overreaction by Hillary’s campaign, will mean anything in the scheme of things.

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