"Will Hillzilla Crush Obambi?"

What is it about the '08 presidential season that is making Maureen Dowd's nicknames seem funny -- instead of annoying -- all of a sudden? (TimesSelect link.)

And then there's that verb -- "crush" -- a word that, around here, launched a thousand hissy fits... and reminds me to remind you to toss another vote into the roiling cauldron of spite that is the "Best Centrist Blog" contest.

But enough about me, back to Maureen. Sorry if you can't get to the column. Basically, she notes that everyone's asking "Which would be a greater handicap in a presidential bid, gender or race?" and that the standard quipsters response is that it will depend "on how manly the woman, and how white the black." But:

Hillary hasn’t waited this long and market-tested this assiduously for nothing. Obambi’s message may be mushy communitarianism — we’re a crazy quilt and why can’t we all get along? — but her message is simply the Divine Right of Clintons

So the real question is "whether he’s tough and she’s genuine."