I am not sure whether she can get the nomination....there is a long way to go between now and the primaries....momentum can switch back and forth several times between now and then.... I think that whoever can hold and energize a significant portion of their party's base while simultaneously satisfying the middle about their credentials to lead wins. The interesting dynamic at play in '08 is the fact that, given the Iraq war and eight years of Bush, the democratic base will be energized for ANYONE the party nominates. The republicans, however, play an interesting balancing act....they need to try to capture the middle, which means distancing themselves from the failed and grossly unpopular current president, and they also need to hold onto their base, which is, oddly enough, not only hard right, religious, and pro-life, but also pretty much pro-Bush. How does Rudy Guliani, for example (pro-choice, pro-gay rights, pro-gun control) (1) win the nomination, (2) impress the independents and the middle of the bell curve, and (3) bring the religious right out to vote on election day?
I think Hillary's play seems to be to be tough and run towards the middle even during primary season and bank on a high turnout of moderate democrats on primary day - especially the early primaries - so that she doesn't HAVE to cater to the far left wing of the democratic party and can impress the middle starting now.
I konw of no one in my party with a better chance of pulling that off.