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A dynamic has emerged in the wake of the near death experience in New Hampshire of the campaign of Hillary Clinton, the emergence of former President Bill Clinton as the dominant force in her campaign. Whether by design or through necessity, the wisdom of this move will be debated for many years. Leaving aside the strategic considerations, the re-emergence of the word itself (Billary, the two-headed candidate for president) cannot be welcomed by anyone in her campaign. Initially this word (or portmanteau) was used endearingly, as in the 1992 campaign with Bill Clinton's campaign promise of "two for the price of one" or when Hillary was using the line, "Buy one, get one free" but it was soon used derisively and made a pejorative by their opponents who ridiculed the idea of a "co-presidency."

We're now seeing this word come creeping back into the political lexicon through the mainstream media, when for the longest time it had been banished to dens like Free Republic or used in the rantings of a Michele Malkin. But no less a writer than Frank Rich used it today in the NY Times (The Billary Road to Republican Victory). And Colbert I. King's Op Ed in the Washington Post of a few days ago (Billary's Adventures in Primary Land) was no less scathing. Given the pejorative nature of such name-blending (Scalito is another recent example) it's rather telling that the media is now using this word freely, some with obvious relish.