Inside Clinton Campaign, A Potent Political Machine

(From the front page of today's WSJ) You gotta tip your hat to the well-oiled Clinton machine -- that's why they're the team to beat.  In fairness, the Obama team is doing a remarkable job -- most incredibly, by nearly matching Hillary's fundraising -- despite, as one person I heard said, "trying to bolt on the wings of a 747 while it's barreling down the runway."  Amidst a number of stories about the Obama team being a day late and a dollar short, this is the most positive part of the article for Obama:

One area where Mr. Obama has outpaced Mrs. Clinton is Internet donations, a reflection of the appeal of his messages of generational change and to Web-savvy activists opposed to the Iraq war. Mr. Obama's campaign spokesman, Bill Burton, points to a recent student-organized rally at George Mason University outside of Washington that drew 3,600 attendees, without support from the campaign. That shows the "grass-roots energy that Sen. Obama has inspired," Mr. Burton says.

Dave Tiffany, a 59-year-old retired computer entrepreneur from Hollis, N.H., came to a town-hall session with Mrs. Clinton in February with a sign reading, "Quit Stalling, Bring Our Troops Home." He says a security guard told him Mrs. Clinton would take a question from him if he turned over the sign. He did, but the message apparently didn't get through and he had to shout at the end to get his question in. "I was definitely left with the impression that it was a scripted event and that we were all being spun," Mr. Tiffany says.

He had a better impression of Mr. Obama after an event last week. Mr. Tiffany says Mr. Obama "was very open and forthcoming. He seemed to be presenting himself for an interview for the most important job in America."

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POWERHOUSE ON THE TRAIL
Inside Clinton Campaign, A Potent Political Machine

Veteran Team Masters
Tactical Nuts and Bolts;
Lagging in Web Money

By BRODY MULLINS
April 9, 2007; Page A1

MANCHESTER, N.H. -- Bill Shaheen has been a kingmaker in Democratic politics here since helping Jimmy Carter win a surprise victory in the 1976 presidential primary. In 2004, he helped John Kerry carry the state, and was expected to work for him again in 2008. Then, in January, Mr. Kerry dropped out -- and Hillary Clinton pounced.

"John Kerry said he was out at 10 p.m. At 11, she's on the phone saying she wants to meet with me," Mr. Shaheen recalled in an interview. No other candidate called for more than a week.