As Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) surges ahead of the good old boys’ clubbers, the Massachusetts madam takes a sniping swing at the parenting skills of the former vice president of the United States. It appears that the oft-touted “civility pact” between candidates has finally met the paper shredder.

The senator allowed reporters to ask questions following a modestly attended town hall in New Hampshire – the state some say predicts the temperature of the electorate for presidential success. One brave soul hypothetically queried whether Warren would allow her vice president’s child to serve on the board of a foreign entity.

Her answer was a swift and resounding “no.” The question that lingers is if Warren was caught off guard and replied honestly or if she’s deflecting in hopes of getting ahead of the looming scandal involving the primary front-runner. But when the reporter pushed and asked why, Warren appeared to stammer: “I don’t know. I have to go back and look at the details.”

The “details” were in her freshly unveiled ethics plans to address corruption in government.

Ukraine? Let’s Not Talk About Ukraine Anymore

Well, those frisky Dems determined to impeach Trump latched on to a worm that is believed to have been skewered on the hook by the man himself. It presented too good of a potential foreign collusion gotcha, and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) took the bait, announcing – again – that the House would initiate an investigation. It was a simple call under scrutiny, between two world leaders that had talking heads panting and strategists salivating over what possibly could have been said.

Trump, however, during Pelosi’s grandstand on the Capitol steps, released the unredacted transcript of his secret phone call with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky. The release of said transcript, not only cleared Trump of any wrongdoing, it provided the added benefit of spotlighting former Vice President Joe Biden’s questionable actions in assisting his son, Hunter, rake in millions in contracts from close associations with foreign entities. Hence the looming Democratic scandal.

Any Democrat worth his or her salt will attempt to gain some distance from Mr. Biden.

Polls … If You Can Believe Them

Quinnipiac University recently released the latest numbers, which show Warren surging eight percentage points as Biden drops by seven – making the two entwined in a statistical dead heat when factoring in the margin of error. As Quinnipiac’s Polling Analyst Tim Malloy summarized:

“After trailing Biden by double digits since March in the race for the Democratic nomination, Warren catches Biden. We now have a race with two candidates at the top of the field, and they’re leaving the rest of the pack behind.”

Yes, the Bernie Bros are already beginning to mourn yet another loss within the stringent rules of the Democratic National Committee’s race to the nomination. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I -VT) now trails at a distant third – and the view is not pleasant.

Warren War Hoop or Retreat?

After Warren scrambled to answer the original question, her campaign went on record with Swamp News to clarify that her ethics plans would not exclude the child of a vice president from serving on such a board. Waffle and wiggle, shuck and jive, and hope for a reprieve for a moment of insanity or simply to cover a Freudian slip of major proportion.

Warren is no stranger to dodging and weaving to avoid the birds-of-a-feather trap. But drawing a line in the sand with the man who has mostly dominated the polls may push Warren out of the option to serve as vice president if things go Biden’s way. It’s a complicated dance not yet mastered by all and we’ll see how this affair plays out soon enough.

Will she consult those ethics plans, or just lob a tomahawk at the latest vulnerable target?

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