Want to catch a glimpse of how the Clintstones will try to weasel their way to victory? Check out today’s Gail Collins column in the New York Times where she goes on about how crappy the Maine caucus was. See, it’s not that people don’t want Hillary. It’s that the primaries are no good. The process is flawed. The caucuses and primaries don’t really reflect the will of the people. Supposedly Collins is just writing about the Maine caucus and the whole piece comes across as kind of a puckish, gee-whiz, slice-of-life humor piece. But there’s a subtext at work here.

Money quote: “There is an impression abroad that these caucuses are grass-roots democracy … Even if that were true, which it’s not, consider whether you would really want a presidential nominee selected by about 20 colorful characters in a barn.”

She goes on then about some old geezer on a cane who had to climb a few steps and sit on a less-than-comfy bench.

Right. See, Hillary is getting creamed, but these primaries and caucuses just aren’t truly representative. Why those poor old folks are totally discriminated against! And there’s not enough parking! And it was snowing out! And the people running the caucus didn’t even know the rules!

I’m telling you, this column did not just happen by accident. This is how the Clintstones operate. They shift the argument. Remember the Lewinsky mess? Pretty soon it had nothing to do with whether Bill lied. Oh no. They turned it into referendum on Monica herself, then on Ken Starr, then on the Republicans. Same in Las Vegas recently for the primary — Hillary wanted the casino caucuses canceled, so the teacher’s union went to bat for her.

So now this “primaries are flawed” theme will be something the Clintstones will latch onto if Hillary loses Texas and Ohio. Their little hatchet men and women will scream that the votes from Michigan and Florida should be counted. They’ll scream about irregularities in some of the primaries. Today’s column, describing the wackiness and unreliability of a single polling station in Maine, is an attempt to build a foundation for the “flawed primaries” argument. It’s a single brick, to be followed by many more. Wait and see.