Hillary flummoxed by Texas rules Bill won by?

Do we need more evidence Hillary Rodham Clinton is not ready for prime time?

Now she is claiming to be 'flummoxed' by the complexity of Texas delegate apportioning. According to the New York Times today --

Texas’ byzantine delegate-selection rules pose a particular challenge to the Clinton forces. Districts that produced heavy Democratic majorities in past contests get a disproportionate share of the delegates, and this favors Mr. Obama because of large turnout in 2004 and 2006 in college towns and black precincts, where he has done well in other states. Mrs. Clinton’s strength is in the cities along the Mexican border, where she is popular with Hispanic voters, but which produce fewer delegates.

Adding to the complexity, Texas holds a primary and a caucus on the same day, with the evening caucus open only to those who have already cast primary ballots, either in early voting (which began Tuesday) or at the polls on March 4. Mr. Obama has prevailed in most caucuses up to now.

Mrs. Clinton said she could not begin to explain how the Texas system worked. “I had no idea how bizarre it is,” she said aboard her plane flying from Wisconsin to Ohio. “We have grown men crying over it.”

'I had no idea how bizarre it is'?

Texas established its convoluted 'Texas 2-step' after the 1972 presidential election, according to Kenneth Molberg of the Texas State Democratic Executive Committee (see NPR story here). That means that Hillary's husband, Bill Clinton, faced the situation of Texas primary complexity twice -- in 1992 and 1996.

Where was Hillary during those campaigns, baking cookies?

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• NY Times: "Texas and Ohio Are Where All the Action Has Gone"
• NPR: "Texas Primary-Caucus Combo Explained"

-- Dan Damon

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