Internal Clinton memo leaks, urges her to skip Iowa

UPDATE: Didn't take the Des Moines Register long, did it? My favorite quote:

"I believe we need a new approach to winning the Democratic nomination," deputy Clinton campaign manager Mike Henry said, according to a memo, provided to The Des Moines Register and authenticated by Clinton aides.

Ya think?

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AP has the story over here. Hotline has some reaction right here.

As Hotline says, you never use the word "skip" even when you're planning to "skip" a state. It just sounds terrible and weak. And it makes you wonder who the heck leaked this memo, and why.

Is this already an attempt by the Clinton campaign to lower expectations in Iowa, where she's losing ground and has slipped to third? It is obviously not something you want to be doing if you're in a position of strength -- it gives off a vibe of desperation.

When top Clinton adviser Harold Ickes was confronted with this memo, he tried to knock it down by repeating Tom Vilsack's claim that Clinton will win Iowa, not just do well in Iowa.

That sets the expectations bar awfully high, and lends credence to the statement in the AP story that Clinton's campaign is split over strategy because of her weakness in Iowa.

Does she really believe she's "in to win" or does she need to "bypass" states that she doesn't think she can win? They don't appear to have that part figured out.