Maggie Williams Takes Over the Clinton Campaign

On the heels of her three defeats yesterday in Louisiana, Nebraska and Washington State comes word that Hillary Clinton is replacing her campaign manager, Patti Solis Doyle, with Maggie Williams, her former chief of staff in the Clinton White House and a woman whose toughness and loyalty to Clinton are the stuff of legend. Williams had agreed to join the campaign as an adviser shortly after Clinton's Iowa defeat, but word then was that she had agreed to stay only 30 days. Clearly, she has decided--or has been persuaded--to commit more deeply.

The greatest benefit Williams may bring to the Clinton organization is a clarity in decision making. The operation has long functioned much as the UN Security Council does, with everyone in the top spots having an effective veto power over every move. That kind of cautious structure works for the near-incumbent campaign that they originally expected to be running at this point, but not for the long and tough race this has become.