Opinion: The Clinton comeback chronicles

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Will this be another day that adds to the Clinton legend, another chapter in a book teeming with examples that their political apparatus -- whether headed by him or her -- often may be down, but it is never out?

It was just two months ago that Hillary Clinton, seemingly on the ropes following her third-place finish in the Iowa caucuses, added to the family legend by confounding the pollsters and narrowly winning the New Hampshire Democratic presidential primary.

Going into today’s spotlighted contests, a late surge has put the polls on her side -- substantially in Ohio, by a small margin in Texas. At this point last week, Barack Obama seemed to have the momentum, especially in Texas, and story after story delineated discontent with the Clinton camp.

If the polls prove right, it will underscore why it’s not a smart bet to write off the Clintons. As do these reminders about her husband:

• Bill Clinton first resurrected his political career in 1982, when he reclaimed the governor’s office in Arkansas. He had first won the job in 1978, at the tender age of 32, and had gained national press coverage as a comer in his party. But, in part because some Arkansans saw the young governor and his wife (who at the time went only by her maiden name, Hillary Rodham) as a bit full of themselves, he got bounced from office in 1980 (a tough year for many Democrats). The Clinton who rebounded from that defeat two years later had cut his hair short, admitted making mistakes during his first term and had a spouse at his side now known as Hillary Rodham Clinton.

• In recognition of his rising political standing, Clinton was tapped to give the official nominating speech at the 1988 Democratic National Convention for Michael Dukakis. Clinton responded with a 32-minute marathon of words remembered for the burst of applause it generated when he finally uttered, ‘In conclusion... .’ Initially the object of derision, he demonstrated his savvy by appearing on the ‘Tonight Show’ with Johnny Carson and poking fun at himself.

• In the 1992 New Hampshire primary, that year’s first faceoff among the Democratic contenders -- Clinton seemed to ride out the first shock to his prospects -- the National Enquirer story reporting his affair with Gennifer Flowers. But then, the Wall Street Journal reported that he had sought to avoid the draft during the Vietnam war much more aggressively than he had acknowledged. For a few days, it looked like he might finish fourth or fifth in the crowded race; one night, aides Paul Begala, James Carville and Los Angeles lawyer Mickey Kantor could be found checking out tracking polls with stricken looks on their faces. But by dint of dawn-to-midnight campaigning, he pulled out a second-place finish (behind Paul Tsongas, from neighboring Massachusetts) and famously declared himself ‘the Comeback Kid.’ Again showing his savvy, he made that declaration early in the evening -- long before Tsongas gave a victory speech -- ensuring that the message sunk in.

• In 1994, voters reacted to the rocky first two years of the Clinton presidency by sweeping Republicans into control of both houses of Congress for the first time in 40 years. Amid predictions that he was destined for only one term, he was forced to assert that he remained relevant. And in fairly short order, he regained his footing when Newt Gingrich and the other new GOP leaders overplayed their hands on several fronts.

• The lulu of all Clinton contretemps, of course, was the Monica Lewinsky scandal. In retrospect, the key to his political survival may have been his willingness to lie about the relationship when the story first broke. An admission during the first days of the furor likely would have resulted in a wave of calls for his resignation. As it was, when he finally came clean, the initial shock of the affair had worn off and the push to drive Clinton from office had evolved into a purely partisan fight.

Quite a list. As Obama has noted, you don’t take the champs out on points; you’ve got to score a knockout.

-- Don Frederick