Shields and Brooks Weigh Obama’s Speech, Iraq War

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• JIM LEHRER:

  And to the analysis of Shields and Brooks, syndicated columnist Mark Shields, New York Times columnist David Brooks.

  Mark, I'm not going to ask you about Kenya politics, OK? So you're off the hook on that.

• MARK SHIELDS, Syndicated Columnist:

  I'd like the give Margaret my total time on that subject.

• JIM LEHRER:

  OK.

• MARK SHIELDS:

  She understands it and knows it.

• JIM LEHRER:

  All right, today's endorsement by Bill Richardson of Barack Obama, big deal?

• MARK SHIELDS:

  Psychologically more than politically. I mean, Obama has had a bad patch, a bad week, 10 days, so this was a lift. It was a lift in a couple of respects.

  One, the only Hispanic governor and a Clinton constituency with whom Obama has had problems winning support and Senator Clinton has had strong support.

  And I'd say, two, the fact that we've had two former candidates for president drop out and endorse. Both of them were quite close to the Clintons, Chris Dodd of Connecticut, senator, had been the Democratic Party chair at Bill Clinton's behest, Bill Richardson had served in the cabinet and been ambassador to the U.N. under Bill Clinton, President Bill Clinton, and both endorsed Obama, which, you know, made the case, overcame the argument that he didn't have experience and he didn't have judgment.

• JIM LEHRER:

  What do you think about it?

• DAVID BROOKS, Columnist, New York Times:

  I basically agree on that. I think, on balance, Mark mentioned the bad patch that Barack Obama had. I think it's been bad week for him.

  I actually think it was a worse week for Hillary Clinton, not necessarily because of this, but I think the decision by Michigan and Florida not to re-vote was a serious, serious blow to Hillary Clinton.

• JIM LEHRER:

  And why?

• DAVID BROOKS:

  Her only chance, really, was to change the psychology of the super-delegates, people like Bill Richardson. And her shot at doing that was to win Pennsylvania, have re-votes in those other two states, win these big states, run up a big string of winning contests over the next two months or so.

  Without them, Michigan and Florida's psychology of a victory, she can't do that. And so I think her chances of getting the nomination drop significantly, even with the bad week Barack Obama had.

• JIM LEHRER:

  Are you saying that you believe Michigan and Florida are dead, there's not going to be any re-do?

• DAVID BROOKS:

  Well, just judging by the vibe of where they seem to be headed, they seem to be heading away from doing a re-vote.

• JIM LEHRER:

  Yes, do you agree with that, Mark, it isn't going to happen?

• MARK SHIELDS:

  I do. And I think that now you're left one of two devices or a combination of the two and that is somehow to drive up Senator Clinton's positives, if you're the Clinton campaign, and put her in the situations where people have doubts about her on two counts.

  They don't question her judgment; they don't question her experience, her knowledge, her intelligence, or even her compassion. They say, "Can I like her and can I trust her?" And I think the more they put her in situations where she does, as she did on "Saturday Night Live" a couple of weeks ago, come across as human and likable, it's better for her.

  I think the tendency on the campaign will be, "Well, we've got to drive up his negatives." So I think you may see a more scorched-earth campaign between the Democrats as a consequence of not having the opportunity that David talked about of winning those primaries or at least contesting them in Michigan and Florida and getting some momentum that way.