After a much-ballyhooed competition for a campaign theme song,1 Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has made her selection, which she announced by way of an internet video spoofing "The Sopranos." Very hip. And the song? Celine Dion's "You and I." All I can say is, What was she thinking?

Here are the lyrics—

Verse 1
High above the mountains, far across the sea
I can hear your voice calling out to me
Brighter than the sun and darker than the night
I can see your love shining like a light
And on and on this earth spins like a carousel
If I could travel across the world
The secrets I would tell

Chorus
You and I
Were meant to fly
Higher than the clouds
We'll sail across the sky
So come with me
And you will feel
That we're soaring
That we're floating up so high
'Cause you and I were meant to fly

Verse 2
Sailing like a bird high on the wings of love
Take me higher than all the stars above
I'm burning, yearning
Gently turning round and round
I'm always rising up I never
Want to come back down

While an amatory theme pervades the lyrics, can anyone doubt that the second verse is anything other than a paean to one of Celine Dion's finer orgasms? How will that play in Dubuque?

Then there's the lack of good ol' red-white-and-blue jingoism so essential to American politics. Not only is the song written by a Canadian but Air Canada used it a few years back for their own campaign.

Wittingly or unwittingly Hillary has placed herself in the posture of some feminine flyers who once bore the brunt of a salacious advertising campaign. In 1971 National Airlines, now defunct, had a woman's name painted on the nose of each plane and ran ads picturing an alluring stewardess ("flight attendant" nowadays) who would urge "I'm Margie (or Cheryl or ...), fly me." It was a great energizer for the Women's Movement.

Something's wrong here. I expect to be offered sex by a commercial airline but not by a candidate for the Presidency—unless of course we're alone.

Another vintage ad.2

In her novel "Fear of Flying" feminist author Erica Jong revealed to us female sexuality as never before. The novel's main character overcame her upbringing to discover just how far a woman might go if left to her own devices.3 Clinton's theme song suggests she has lost her fear of flying—along with any vestige of good sense.

Tags: * Hillary Clinton Presidential campaign campaign theme song marketing advertising election+2008 song