Observers on both sides of the political aisle say that after all these years what Hillary Clinton needs is a separation agreement from her husband. No, not that kind, a political separation, where she gets his assets, without the liablities.
Former President Bill Clinton's political assets are of course considerable: He's considered by many to have the finest political mind in the Democratic Party, his ability to connect with voters is as impressive as ever, and he remains the biggest draw on the Democratic money circuit.
But being so closely identified with Bill is not without its drawbacks for Hillary, according Anita Dunn, a Democratic strategist, and Scott Reed, a Republican strategist.
They say that one reason around 40 percent of U.S. voters have an unfavorable opinion of Senator Clinton (according to CNN polling) is that they don't like her husband, and that because Bill and Hillary originally came as a package, she gets saddled with the mistrust directed toward him.
Her challenge? Reintroduce herself, drop the baggage, move past the soap opera, become a candidate of the future, not the past.
As Anita Dunn told us today, Senator Clinton's problem is that the voters don't know her, but they think they do. New Yorkers now know her apart from her husband, and reelected her overwhelmingly. It's her job now to take that separation national.
