by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700

Copyright June 2, 2008
ll Rights Reserved.

ne day before Montana and South Dakota put an emphatic end to Democratic nomination fight, former President Bill Clinton hinted about his wife's future. “I want to say also that this may be the last day I'm ever involved in a campaign of this kind,” proving, if nothing else, that he and Hillary still have communication problems. Celebrating her Pyrrhic victory in Puerto Rico, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) showed no signs of throwing in the towel, despite her overwhelming odds. “I will lead the popular vote; he [Barack] will maintain a slight lead in the delegates,” Hillary told a small gathering in San Juan, insisting she would press her case to superdelegates. “I'm sort of a-day-at-a-time person,” hinting that tomorrow's results signaled the end to a long campaign that began Jan. 21, 2007. Once the prohibitive favorite, few expected her to lose to a political neophyte.

      Sen. Barack Obama's meteoric rise from obscurity to the threshold of the Democratic nomination threw experts for a loop, believing Hillary had the experience and campaign machine to pull it off. “We are going to keep our options open,” Hillary's campaign chairman Terry McAuliffe told ABC's “This Week's” host George Stephanopolous, hinting she might battle to the convention. McAuliffe, who made his fortune at the expense of former telecommunication giant Global Crossing, served as former president Clinton's chief fund raiser. No one in Hillary's inner circle, including her former chief-of-staff Howard Wolfson, has conceded defeat. Hillary hoped to get delegates and popular votes from Michigan and Florida, both stripped of delegates last January when they broke Party rules. Hillary knows she won't be saved by Michigan or Florida.

      When the dust settles, Hillary will have to take stock of what went wrong. While it's tempting to blame high-ranking officials, including her former media chief Mark Penn, in reality the Party still had unfinished business with the Clintons. When former Vice President Al Gore lost a disputed election to then Texas Gov. George W. Bush in 2000, it signaled Clinton fatigue. Eight years of Clintons produced too many inconsequential scandals, wasting too much time in the Oval Office. Some people still remember Hillary blaming the Monica Lewinsky scandal on the “vast right wing conspiracy.” She was actually an effective presidential candidate, giving Barack all he could handle. In the end, voters wanted change, not, as Hillary defined it, but trying a new generation of leadership. Whether admitted to or not, Democrats and Republicans were leery of returning to the past.

      Most GOP partisans see more warfare ahead with Obama. Those who know and like his distaste for division are willing to give the 46-year-old first-term Illinois senator the benefit of the doubt. Hillary ran a brutal campaign, hitting Barack with everything but the kitchen sink. She and her husband relentlessly attacked Barack, especially his foreign policy credentials. Hillary and Bill's attacks form the cornerstone of presumptive GOP nominee's Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) blistering attack on Barack's foreign policy. Hillary promised to lead on “day-one,” still trying to sell committed and uncommitted superdelegates that she's the best candidate for the Oval Office. While voters recognized Barack's experience gap, they wanted a new face in 2008. McCain promised to continue the Bush policy, while Hillary offered to return to the good old days of her husband's administration.

      After Montana and South Dakota speak tomorrow, Hillary can say she went the distance, ignoring pundits calling on her to gracefully resign. She passed on that opportunity after failing to close the gap March 5, winning Texas and Ohio. No one can tell a candidate when it's time to quit but having gone the distance will change her mind. It wasn't that long ago that Bill hinted that Obama might make a good VP for Hillary, despite lagging far behind in delegates. After tomorrow, Party officials will heap pressure on superdelegates to get off the fence, giving Barack the 2,118 delegates needed to win. “I thought I was out of politics, till Hillary decided to run. But it has been one of the greatest honors of my life to go around and campaign for her for president,” said Bill, raising the inevitable. Hillary has called for a campaign celebration in New York after Tuesday's results.

      Hillary put up a good fight but couldn't overcome Barack's charisma and positive message. Whether her husband helped or not is anyone's guess. Returning to the stump opened up old wounds and reminded voters that there was still unfinished business with the Clintons. Imagining the former president—and all his cronies—back at the White House gave voters second thoughts. “The candidacy and this campaign continues on,” Hllary's communication director Howard Wolfson told CNN. Wolfson and other senior staff know what's at stake when the primaries end tomorrow. Party officials will heap inordinate pressure on superdelegates to put Barack over the top. “Sometime this week, we'll probably have a nominee for the Democratic Party,” said Obama's communication director Robert Gibbs. Hillary went the distance but she hurt her chances of getting offered VP.

About the Author

John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He's editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.

©1999-2005 Discobolos Consulting Services, Inc.
(310) 204-8300
All Rights Reserved.