NOW THAT THEY NEED HER...

Posted at 5:46 p.m. ET

Hillary Clinton that is.  Suddenly, the defeated challenger is a hot property to the Obama camp because of the belief that she can counter Sarah Palin.

But the Hillary response will apparently be, "Not so fast."  She's willing to help, but on her terms, as The Politico reports:

Hillary Rodham Clinton has no intention of becoming a Sarah Palin attack dog — but has no qualms going after John McCain, people close to the former first lady say.

“She’s not the answer when it comes to winning conservative women — she never was — and we’re not going to be anybody’s attack dog against Sarah Palin,” said a Clinton insider. “To be fair to Obama’s people, they haven’t asked us to do that.”

No, I'll bet they never even thought of it. 

Clinton will continue to yoke McCain and Palin to President Bush on pocketbook issues. But sources say that Clinton, who supports abortion rights, isn’t likely to criticize the Alaska governor for her anti-abortion stance. She may, however, question Palin’s record on equal-pay issues.

Translated into English, Clinton is smart enough not to alienate pro-life women, a group she'd want in 2012.  Attacking on equal-pay issues is routine, and no one remembers.

The Obama campaign, alarmed by Palin’s instant popularity, has given Clinton’s staff a proposed fall campaign schedule in economically distressed battleground states — including Ohio and Pennsylvania — where she did well during the primaries, according to people familiar with the situation.

The former first lady, who is due to appear at an Obama event in Florida on Monday, hasn’t gotten back to them yet. When she does, she’s likely to add a few stops of her own — fundraisers, including at least one in Texas to help her repay more than $20 million in debt incurred during the primary.

She might even recall that Obama hasn't lifted a finger to help her pay that debt.  What does she owe him, except some go-through-the-motions speeches as a party loyalist? 

It will be a weird sight to behold - Clinton campaigning for a man she almost surely wants to lose, so she can have a clear shot at 2012.  And on the other ticket is the woman she might well face in that year. 

2012:  Clinton vs. Palin for the American presidency.  Now, the Mayan calendar says the world will end on December 21, 2012.  But we'll know the result by then, and maybe we won't care.

September 5, 2008.