Howard Fineman pities the Democrats.

PITY THE POOR DEMOCRATS, especially the ones running for president. They want politics these days to focus on questions such as: where are the weapons of mass destruction George W. Bush told us about? Where are the child-care credits everyone is supposed to get? But the media wants to ask different questions: what do you think of what Hillary Clinton writes in her new autobiography? Do you believe her version? What will Bill’s book (out next year) be like? Does this mean Hillary is running for president in 2004 or 2008?

White House political guru Karl Rove couldn’t have planned it any better. Just as the Democrats and their candidates are gearing up for the 2004 campaign (their first “straw poll” is next week in Wisconsin), along comes the Clintons to steal the spotlight and send the party plunging back into an era of chaos and recrimination everyone (except Republican operatives) would just as soon forget.