Hillary Clinton's Tightrope Dance

She is putting in 16-hours days in Indiana, talking about gas prices and creating jobs but very little about Barack Obama. On Fox News, she used only one word as a dagger.

“I think," Hillary Clinton said, "he made his views clear, finally, that he disagreed, and I think that’s what he had to do.”

Since the departure of Mark Penn three weeks ago, the Clinton campaign has smartened up under the veteran strategist Geoff Garin and, with considerable political aplomb, avoided the appearance of piling on during the Jeremiah Wright to-do.

"Clinton advisers," the New York Times reports, "have not held a bash-Obama conference call for a week now--after months when they held near-daily calls with reporters to pounce on Mr. Obama about everything, including Mr. Wright."

Murray Kempton once said that editorial writers come down from the hills after the battle and shoot the wounded. Political consultants have learned to be careful about appearing to do the same.

How badly has Obama been hurt? Can Clinton catch up? Next Tuesday's voting in Indiana and North Carolina will provide answers and what seemed unthinkable a few weeks ago, that she could wrest the nomination from him, now looks possible if not probable.

At least one issue in this campaign has been settled. Words do count.