"No question he's made mistakes. But his fatal flaw, according to her, is that he is not as skilled as she in answering Republican attacks (with more of the same).

You may not like this type of "politics," but I think it is brilliant on Clinton's part. It pulls out all the fear from Republicans well ahead of November, diminishing their ability to use it consistently against Democrats because it will have been outed for what it is! She has turned the model on its head and shows that she learned from John Kerry, Al Gore, Michael Dukakis and Walter Mondale.

doesn't it bother any of these old-school feminists to see her painting her rival as the girl in this race—yes, as if that were a bad thing—just as every Republican since Richard Nixon has done to every Democrat since Adlai Stevenson?

Old-school feminists aren't concerned about him being painted as the "girl" in this race because this isn't directed at Obama. It is directed at Republicans (McCain et al) who have put Democrats on the defensive for years!. I think it is strategic, multi-level thinking and strategy - in great part because she is a woman old school feminist - that has taken valuable lessons from Democrats' blistering past defeats.

"...Obama's appeal is rooted in his view that we have more in common than we might realize—and can't afford to go on tearing each other to shreds in this polarized, cartoon world where if your views are two degrees north or south of mine, then U R evil and must die. It was his refusal to play the same old zero-sum game..."

no,no,No,NO,NO! He has most definitely not done this. Had he, union members/voters, older voters, women would be voting for him in droves. He has failed to connect and click with these voters and has not provided a substantive argument to counter this. John F. Kennedy was so savvy about these issues. He spoke eloquently to people, but he knew that he had to reach voters like this through economic populism. Obama's policy positions do not reach these voters - no matter how he (or you) spin it, because they are not populist by any stretch. There is a gaping disconnect between his "transformational" policies and the economic insecurities of these voters.