Hillary's Competition

Meet Jeanine Pirro, Westchester County District Attorney and 2006 challenger for Hillary Clinton's New York Senate seat. Though Pirro is not the first candidate to enter the race, she is the first to pose even a modest threat to the ultra-popular former first lady, widely considered the Democratic frontrunner for the 2008 Presidential candidacy.

Republicans had sought a tough contender to at least wound Clinton in the 2006 Senate race, and Pirro not only fits the bill but represents a female candidate strong, sharp, and sassy enough to out-Hillary Hillary.

The New York Times describes Pirro as "charismatic," "sharp-elbowed," and "well-financed." Cut in the Giuliani mold, she's a tough prosecuter and death penalty proponent, but has liberal stances on abortion and gay rights, even opposing a ban on "partial-birth" abortions. Her moderate/liberal social positions have the state Conservative Party unimpressed, but the Republican leadership thinks she'll play fine in New York and is more than willing to pitch a big tent to field a tough sexy woman willing to throw punches at Hillary. Yesterday Pirro stepped into the ring and did not tip-toe:

"Hillary Clinton is not running to serve the people of New York. We are just a way station in her run for the presidency. I think voters will choose the only woman who really wants the job. My full-time is a whole lot better than her part-time."

Pirro's one great liability is her husband, Albert J. Pirro, who spent 11 months in prison after a 2000 tax fraud conviction. But her team is unafraid, trusting that in a battle of dirty husband laundry, Bill's boxers would provide sufficient artillery.

Both sides see the 2006 Senate race as an important testing ground to see whether Hillary has Presidential mettle, and Pirro's challenge will surely provide Clinton a chance to prove she still has fight after her
recent metamorphosis to Martha Stewart clone.

The race promises to be quite an affair, with GOP strategist Roger Stone already predicting "the most expensive Senate race in U.S. history."

Stay tuned. This one should be interesting.