Senator Hillary Clinton has officially begun her campaign for the 2008 presidential election, by attacking "the simulation of lewd sexual acts" in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. In a much-publicized letter to the Federal Trade Commission, Senator Clinton condemned the game, and requested an investigation into whether GTA's video game rating should be changed from Mature (age 17+) to Adults Only (age 18+).

Senator Clinton also said she was introducing legislation to impose a $5000 fine on retailers who sell adult-rated video games to minors.

The letter to the FTC and the corresponding bill are an attempt to court religious conservatives, who typically vote republican. By appealing to the "Family Values" sensibilities of the right, the Senator hopes to pull a few more percentage points in her favor for the election. She is already guaranteed to have 99% of the liberal vote in the next election, regardless of her actions between now and then, and with the few points gained by championing the traditional republican "family values" platform, she is already very close to ensuring her presidency.

CNN has also officially backed Mrs. Clinton as their candidate of choice, by giving the story long legs on both their television network and their website.

Look for other well-publicized statements from Senator Clinton in the coming months, that relate to traditionally conservative issues. My prediction is that Hillary commandeers Nancy Reagan's "Say 'No' to drugs" campaign. She will propose legislation increasing the penalties for drug pushers who target children, or operate near schools. Senator Clinton's advisors are still trying to determine the optimal time to release her statement.

Meanwhile, "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas" is assurred of becoming one of the best-selling video games in history thanks to the additional publicity, and minors everywhere can rest assurred that they will have a very good chance of getting to see the before-mentioned lewd sexual acts. But, that is a secondary matter. Objective: achieved. Nicely played, Hillary.

Read more about the story on CNN: http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/07/15/senate.videogame.reut/index.html