Between the lines: Clinton's path gets easier

Benghazi hearing, Biden decision help Hillary 2016

It was a week to remember, the week that saw Hillary Clinton's path to the Democratic nomination, if not the White House, swept clear.

First, on Wednesday, Vice President Joe Biden announced his decision not to seek the presidency, not to contest Clinton's historic second bid for the office.

Biden's decision came a little sooner than expected, a day ahead of the controversial congressional hearing that had great potential to damage Clinton.

Momentarily, Biden's announcement took the spotlight off the hearing, although that changed on Thursday, when all eyes were on Clinton again in that long-awaited hearing.

House committee members grilled Clinton in a marathon hearing that proved to be as much about congressional motives as about the former secretary of state.

This was, of course, just the latest congressional inquiry regarding the attacks in Benghazi that resulted in the death of a U.S. ambassador and three other Americans.

It was a tragic incident. What happened, why it happened and what could possibly have been done differently were all questions that needed answering. But nothing new seemed to come from this hearing, other than an on-camera test of Clinton's mettle and a simultaneous display of the partisan divide among members of Congress.

What the hearing did reveal was the unlimited spending, now approaching $5 million, in taxpayer dollars that has been directed toward an inquiry some Republicans have admitted was largely aimed at pulling down Clinton's presidential poll numbers.

Interestingly, before the hearing began, at least one national poll showed that roughly three out of four Americans thought the committee's inquiry was designed more for political gain than for objective investigation. Something like 85 percent of Democrats polled thought so; but almost half of Republicans did, too.

So, by the time the hearing actually happened, the jig was up. This was a politically inspired showdown that backfired on its Republican architects.

While we're only beginning to see the public reaction, preliminary assessments indicate the hearing served to promote Clinton, not derail her.

She is not alone in the race for the Democratic nomination; but her only real challenger now is U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders. The Vermont lawmaker has proven popular enough to take the lead in New Hampshire polling, but he trails Clinton nationally.

The boost she's getting from her committee performance and from the recent Democratic debate should leave her in even more solid standing.

Remember, other Democrats -- former U.S. Sen. Jim Webb of Virginia and Lincoln Chafee, former Rhode Island governor, have dropped out. The only other debate participant, Martin O'Malley, former governor of Maryland, is a mere blip in Democratic polls.

The primary contest is now the Hillary and Bernie Show. Period.

That brings us back to Joe Biden and his decision to stay out of the race. His entry would have completely changed the Democratic contest.

He concluded, correctly, that he had waited too long to mount a winning campaign for the nomination.

But he promised not to be silent, which could impact how the rest of the campaign is conducted.

"I intend to speak out clearly and forcefully, to influence as much as I can where we stand as a party and where we need to go as a nation," said Biden, standing with President Barack Obama in the White House Rose Garden.

His primary message was to reinforce Obama's legacy, even as Clinton has distanced herself from some Obama positions.

"I believe that President Obama has led this nation from crisis to recovery, and we're now on the cusp of resurgence," Biden said. "This party, our nation will be making a tragic mistake if we walk away or attempt to undo the Obama legacy."

Biden continued with a speech that might as easily have signaled the launch of his own campaign but he instead bowed out of contention.

Not that a different decision by Biden would necessarily have altered Clinton's handling of the Benghazi hearing, but she did have a laser focus on the task at hand Thursday.

And, on Friday, acknowledging Biden's choice, she, too, said Democrats should be proud of the administration's record of achievement.

It's a message that helps her on the road to the nomination, if not necessarily the presidency.

Commentary on 10/25/2015

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