Tuesday morning, however, The New York Times ran a big story based on “extensive interviews” with Clinton advisers, in which they “acknowledged missteps—such as their slow response to questions about her email practices—and promised that this fall the public would see the sides of Mrs. Clinton that are often obscured by the noise and distractions of modern campaigning.” The aides said they want Clinton to show humor and heart, and they said she was scrapping the slogan “everyday Americans,” which never seemed to catch on.

Then, during an interview Tuesday with ABC, Clinton actually apologized: “I should have used two accounts. One for personal, one for work-related emails. That was a mistake. I’m sorry about that. I take responsibility.” She followed that with a post to Facebook and an email to supporters.

The reversal—two almost diametrically opposed answers to the same question in two days—does not suggest a campaign that is confident and has a plan. And the spectacle of Clinton’s aides speaking to the press about what they “want her” to do makes for uncomfortable recollections of the 2008 campaign, in which Clinton aides fought for control of the campaign (and with each other) via the media. Heading into this race, Clinton promised she had learned the lessons of the campaign, including the risk of failing to show emotion on the trail and the danger of allowing chaos among advisers, and wouldn’t make them again.

So far, the record is mixed. The tactical lessons seem to have stuck: Caught by surprise by Barack Obama’s wily delegate-gathering strategy seven years ago, she’s counting them more carefully. But she still struggles with organization, message, and emotion. It’s impossible to imagine more disciplined campaigns—like either Obama run, or either George W. Bush run—going through the public reboot of the last few days. (Those four campaigns also share something important that differentiates them from Clinton in 2008: They were able to win both the nomination and the White House.)

One additional problem with announcing that the candidate is going to show more emotion is that once she does, those displays start to seem, if not fake, at least forced. In the ABC interview Tuesday, Clinton got choked up while discussing her mother, Dorothy Rodham. There are many reasons to believe this is genuine: Losing a parent is a traumatic experience, and Clinton has repeatedly spoken passionately during this campaign about the influence of her mother, who led a truly harrowing early life and died in 2011 at 92. Yet because her by-all-indications-genuine display of emotion came the same day as the Times story, skeptical reporters questioned whether it was for real. (She also appeared Tuesday on Ellen, a venue intended to be more casual and authentic, where she kibbitzed with Amy Schumer and danced the nae nae.)