Mediaboss Marketing

It's no secret that Hillary Clinton badly wants the approval of Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren (and the liberal wing of the party she represents) in advance of the former Secretary of State's near-certain 2016 bid. There was themeeting between the two at Clinton's DC house back in December and the various rhetorical bows Clinton has made to Warren's populist rhetoric over the past few months.

Given that recent history, what Warren had to say about Clinton during an appearance on Al Sharpton's MSNBC show Tuesday night has to be disappointing to Clintonworld. Here's the exchange:

Sharpton: A lot of progressives have questions about whether she'll [Hillary Clinton] be a progressive warrior. what would you say to them?

Warren: You know, I think that's what we gotta see. I want to hear what she wants to run on and what she says she wants to do. that's what campaigns are supposed to be about.

Um, ok. If you look up the definition of "lukewarm," you find Warren's statement. She could have very easily said: "Look, Hillary Clinton and I have had a lot of good conversations lately and I am convinced that she will fight for the progressive principles that we both hold dear." But, she didn't say that. And there's a reason why not: Because, at least at the moment, Warren doesn't believe it.

Of course, there's a difference in politics between not being all that convinced in private and making clear you are not all that convinced in public. Warren chose the latter approach, likely because she wants to make sure the Clinton people know that she won't be a pushover. Warren quite clearly wants to remain apart from the ardent Clinton supporters in order to ensure that some of her policy priorities -- particularly a tough and aggressive approach to Wall Street -- are reflected in Clinton's campaign.

That stance doesn't mean Warren is itching to run against Clinton. (I still don't think she is.) But, it does mean that Warren, at least in the near term, may be Republicans' best friend -- providing all sorts of fodder for the GOP as they try to make the case that Clinton isn't really what the Democratic party wants.

Chris Cillizza writes The Fix, a politics blog for the Washington Post. He also covers the White House.

Follow this link:
The Fix: Elizabeth Warrens answer on Hillary Clintons liberal credentials wasnt convincing at all