Reinvented First Lady Speaks Tonight

CHICAGO (AllPolitics, Aug. 27) -- What a difference four years has made. When Hillary Clinton takes the podium tonight at the Democratic National Convention, it will be a changed first lady from the feisty, opinionated woman who tried to give America a comprehensive health care plan.

Buy one, get one for free, candidate Bill Clinton said of his bright, lawyer spouse during the last presidential campaign. It's not exactly a part of his stump speech this year. Four years later, after the dramatic collapse of the adminstration's health plan, and a Republican Congress turning up the heat on the ongoing Whitewater and Travelgate inquiries, Hillary Clinton has shifted gears.

Her public focus now is children. She made child-rearing the subject of her book "It Takes A Village." But that too turned out to be a lightening rod for GOP critics, who have accused Mrs. Clinton of advocating greater government involvement in the raising of children. In his San Diego acceptance speech, GOP nominee Bob Dole pointedly said, "It takes a family to raise children."

This morning, Mrs. Clinton's speech hadn't been written, but that's normal, according to a member of her staff. He said it's not unusual for her to deliver a speech without writing it out and that she's been known to walk to the podium, plant her feet and start speaking from the heart. However, a senior staff member tells CNN the speech will reflect the values Mrs. Clinton has cared about for the past 20 years.

Regardless of what the first lady says and how she says it, she will undoubtedly be compared to the GOP nominee's spouse, Elizabeth Dole, who walked through the crowd in a stirring address to delegates in San Diego.

Democrats have been fielding Liddy-Hillary comparisons since San Diego.

"Look," said former Democratic presidential candidate Michael Dukakis, "Liddy Dole is a nice person. She's not Hillary Clinton; she hasn't been out there fighting for the kinds of issues that I think middle-class America and American families and youngsters in this country really care about."

Democratic Party Chairman Christopher Dodd says Mrs. Clinton is not campaigning against Mrs. Dole.

"I'm confident Mrs. Clinton will do an excellent job at this convention. She received a tremendously warm reception by the Connecticut delegation this morning... This is her home town and there is a great sense of warmth."

If Mrs. Clinton's other speeches are any preview expect to hear a lot about children, the power of the women's vote and accomplishments of the Clinton administration. She focused on those themes as she hopscotched through Chicago on Monday, showing up at eight events in six hours. And pundits say she may have a comeback for Dole's San Diego dig.

CNN's Marc Watts contributed to this report.

Reinvented First Lady Speaks Tonight

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