In the 1992 campaign, Bill Clinton had sewn up the Democratic nomination, but was trailing George H.W. Bush and Ross Perot in the polls.

So – at the Democratic Convention – he reintroduced himself as “The Man from Hope.” He and his consultants painted that picture to counter the popular view of Clinton as a draft-dodging, over-educated son of privilege.

Hillary Clinton is reading the same script. Written by some of the same image-makers, like Mandy Grunwald.

She’s positioning herself as a sensible girl from Middle America, the middle class and the middle of the road.

It’s Clinton centrism redux.

Barack Obama and John Edwards are trying to draw contrasts. Edwards by moving left. Obama by presenting himself as the future and Hillary (and the whole Clinton-Bush thing) as the past.

Popular myth has it that Democrats love insurgents. But, surprisingly often, the more mainstream, “establishment” candidate prevails – after a few stumbles.

Witness Humphrey in ’68, Carter in ’80, Mondale in ’84, Dukakis in ’88, Clinton in ’92, Gore in 2000 and Kerry in 2004. The exceptions were McGovern in ’72 and Carter in ’76.

Hillary knows that story. And she’s sticking to it.