In which The Gay Recluse scores selected opinion pieces in The Times.

Maureen Dowd/Eggheads and Cheese Balls

The Short Version: Obama and Hillary are both floundering.

In her words: “At match points, when Hillary fights like a cornered raccoon, Obama retreats into law professor mode.”

Score: B- (Basic)
This column doesn’t break any new ground as Dowd trots out the usual reasons why people think Obama is an elitist (namely, because he is) and why Clinton is not (because she has no shame). One thing that has always bugged us about Dowd is her assumption that strong and masculine is always the better choice in a leader; it seems to us that we could use a little more effete and deliberative these days (of course, there’s also an element of homophobia in Dowd’s analysis in this regard to which she’s always been completely oblivious, and is one of the reasons she has become less relevant over time.)