Axelrod's strength is that he understood early that "turning the page" would be the animating theme in 2008. He caught the deeper rhythms of the campaign better than the competition. Where Axelrod falls short is on policy prescriptions. Like a lot of operatives, he doesn't think they're terribly important. But Obama's biggest cheers on the campaign trail come when he gets specific in explaining what he would do as president.

Hillary owed her New Hampshire victory to a new emotional connection, a backlash among women and the truckload of last-minute distortions dumped by the Clintons on Obama (on everything from abortion to the Iraq War). But the endless list of specifics that have led Hillary to be dubbed the "laundry lady" was also a factor. It was not a good sign for Obama that Penn & Co., recognizing Hillary's advantage among working-class voters, beat him to the punch last week in outlining an economic-stimulus package.

Penn and Axelrod dislike each other. Penn goes for condescension, arguing that Axelrod is running a professorial Adlai Stevenson-style campaign, disconnected from the core interests of voters. Axelrod considers Penn the embodiment of everything that's wrong with the Democratic Party. They may both be right, though that doesn't take us any closer to which of their bosses will win.

© 2008