Gotcha! Immigration Flip-Flop Haunts Clinton Campaign

I noted earlier that I missed Tuesday's Democratic debate. There's no worry, though, since I'm catching some of the key segments online. Hillary's illegal immigrant drivers' license flip-flop is a true classic in the history of presidential debate moments, available on YouTube:

Although Clinton herself took debate moderator Tim Russert to task for playing "gotcha" in his questioning on the issues, the immigration gaffe is Clinton's own "gotcha" moment. The episode powerfully demonstrates the hypocrisy of Clinton's "nuance" on the issues. The New York Times has more on Clinton's immigration moment:

It was a moment that crystallized Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton’s struggles in Tuesday night’s debate. Questioned about a plan to grant driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants, Mrs. Clinton at first seemed to defend it, then suggested she was against it, until finally, pressed for a direct answer, she accused the moderator, Tim Russert, of playing “gotcha.”

Her verbal twists and turns provided her opponents with fodder for their central critique of Mrs. Clinton, which coursed throughout Tuesday’s debate: that she was trying to have it both ways on the issue, much as she was trying to portray herself as antiwar while voting to authorize the use of force in Iraq.

Here's more, on the conservative reaction to Clinton's gaffe:

Illustrating the political dangers of the issue, Mrs. Clinton found herself under fierce attack Wednesday from Republicans and conservative radio hosts for her debate comments.

“I know there are some politicians like Hillary,” Rudolph W. Giuliani told the conservative talk radio host Glenn Beck. “They say different things to different people. They use different accents in different parts of the country. I’m used to that about her now. I had never seen it happen all in one place, in one minute.”

Thanks to Senator Dodd, by the way, for providing the opening for this classic Hillary Halloween haunt.

Also, hat tip to Flopping Aces for the YouTube. See also Michelle Malkin on Hillary's immigration moment.