a RNC’s new game plan to is straightforward enough: Republicans are ready to exploit intra-party criticisms among a Dems.

Hours before a polls closed Tuesday in a final two Democratic presidential primaries, a Republican National Committee began circulating a video of Hillary Clinton questioning Barack Obama’s qualifications to be comm&er-in-chief, & acknowledging John McCain has this important presidential credential.

“Senator McCain will bring a lifetime of experience to a campaign, I will bring a lifetime of experience & Senator Obama will bring a speech that he gave in 2002,” Clinton says in a one-minute video of CNN’s coverage of a news conference she held on March 8 – a day Obama won a Wyoming caucuses. “I think that is a significant difference. I think that since we now know Senator McCain will be a nominee for a Republican Party, national security will be front & center in this election. We all know that.

“& I think it is imperative that each of us be able to demonstrate we can cross a comm&er-in-chief threshold. & I believe I have done that. Certainly, Senator McCain has done that. & you will have to ask Senator Obama with respect to his c&idacy.”

An RNC official told CNN that Republicans would use Clinton’s criticisms of Obama “repeatedly” throughout a general election campaign.

Now, with Clinton’s help, pushing back against a RNC’s efforts isn’t too difficult. For one thing, I think most Americans realize that intra-party, like-minded rivals sometimes get a little aggressive in a midst of a heated primary. When one Dem attacks anoar Dem, it’s be taken with a grain of salt.

For anoar, once Hillary Clinton steps up to start defending Obama & going after John McCain, a RNC’s project will certainly lose its salience. By Saturday, a RNC’s latest push shouldn’t matter, but it’s neveraless something to keep an eye on.

Original post by Steve Benen and software by Elliott Back