Fiorina's Flip-Flop on Clinton

The month after our ABC encounter, Fiorina declared her "great admiration and respect for Hillary Clinton and her candidacy and leadership."

Compare that with Fiorina today. "Throughout this campaign, I have repeatedly asked Hillary Clinton to name an accomplishment," she wrote in a commentary published on CNN.com. "She has yet to name one."

Clinton, she added, is "the epitome of a professional political class that has managed a bloated, inept, corrupt federal government for far too long."

Fiorina's shifting stance on Clinton is striking: She has gone from stealth fan to Public Enemy No. 1 -- the (not coincidentally female) face in the crowd who is willing to slam Clinton most ferociously as a lightweight and a liar.

One potential answer: Fiorina once was impressed but became disillusioned with Clinton's performance as secretary of state. But "that was then, this is post-Benghazi" is not an explanation that would sit particularly well with the conservative voters Fiorina is wooing.

Another possible explanation: Fiorina then was busy sucking up to Clinton voters, trying to woo them for McCain. So she got carried away. But this interpretation poses a variation of the classic trial lawyer's question: Which time were you being disingenuous?

Contacted for comment, Fiorina's Deputy Campaign Manager Sarah Isgur Flores said, "If Carly had been asked at the end of the Clinton-Obama primary who she would have supported in that race, she would have said Mrs. Clinton. Carly, however, doesn't remember meeting or talking to Ms. Marcus on this or any other subject."

But the context of that conversation wasn't which of the two Democratic candidates Fiorina preferred. I clearly recall her telling me she would have supported Hillary if McCain weren't running.

Fiorina's political stock, post-debate, is soaring. Her calling card is her willingness -- and, perhaps, the freedom her gender bestows -- to go after Clinton full-force. This seemed like the right moment to share Fiorina's earlier assessment of the woman she aims to defeat.

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Ruth Marcus' email address is ruthmarcus@washpost.com.