Let’s call this Exhibit A in the case against Hillary Clinton for president. In the following clip we see her radicalism, her shrillness, her inability to finesse a tough question, and her condescension to her opponents. Tim Russert asks if she still thinks that NY Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s plan to provide drivers licenses for the state’s illegal aliens “makes a lot of sense.” She says yes, then no, then dodges a couple of bullets from Chris Dodd, who came off sounding quite reasonable on the question, blames Bush and comes off sounding like a thin-skinned harpy.

The proposal to grant drivers licenses to illegal aliens is a radical one. Incredibly, only Chris Dodd, Bill Richardson and Barack Obama raised their hands when Russert asks whether illegal aliens should not be able to get drivers licenses. And Obama and Richardson were pretty noodlewristed about raising their hands. The vast majority of the New York voters oppose it, and even 55% of Democrats across the country oppose extending benefits to illegal aliens, but the majority of Democrat candidates for president are fine with it. They’re not only out of step with the American people; they’re out of step with their own party, and in one of their stronghold states.

And Hillary Clinton is leading the way.

Beyond that, Americans really ought to ask ourselves: Do we want four and possibly eight years of that voice on TV every single night, braying from the bully pulpit and weighing in on the issues of the day?

Update: Fishwrap quotes this post alongside Rush Limbaugh. Well, that’s just an honor.

Update: Over at Ace of Spades, Jack M. calls this clip “the most important two minutes of the debate.” I think that’s right. Hillary put herself on the losing side of a major issue here, and then showed no skill at all in trying to extricate herself from her unpopular and unwise position. This’ll hurt her. As Jack adds:

Which makes me smile.

More: Suitably Flip is suitably amused.

Russert went on to press her about whether she does or does not support the plan to issue driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants, something she’s explicitly supported in recent days in New Hampshire. Ever resolute, she went on to firmly declare that she both does and does not support such a plan, and furthermore, that she both did and did not ever say such a thing in New Hampshire.