The XX Factor: Slate women blog about politics, etc...

Hillary and Drudge

This morning’s NYT reports on how skilled Hillary Clinton’s team has been in wringing favorable coverage out of the Drudge Report— and praises her maturity in “a development that has surprised much of the political world: Mrs. Clinton is learning to play nice with the Drudge Report and the powerful, elusive and conservative-leaning man behind it.’’ Hillary Clinton, pragmatic? Much of the political world is more easily surprised than I thought.

Matt Drudge’s willingness to be played is even less mysterious. Maybe, like other “conservative-leaning’’ folk, he considers the Clinton candidacy a dream come true. Or maybe he just remembers how good the Clinton years were for him. When Drudge says, “I need Hillary Clinton. You don’t get it. … That’s my bank,” I don’t doubt his sincerity at all.