Hillary, the Blogs, the Base

Mystery Pollster (a blogger whose identity, as a professional pollster, Mark Blumenthal, is no longer a mystery) adduces some actual data (!) to find that the blogospheric unhappiness with Hillary's stance on the Iraq war has had zero effect on her popularity among Democrats. In fact, she's particularly popular among liberal Democrats at large, 94% of whom view her favorably.

His conclusion: "[M]ost Democrats simply like Hillary, know her stands on issues only vaguely and do what voters typically do, those who like her tend to project their own ideological identity on to hers."

He leaves open the possibility that the blogs will lead opinion, just haven't yet. And Mickey Kaus rejoins that she's really the second coming of Edmund Muskie. Hmm.