by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700

Copyright June 3, 2008
ll Rights Reserved.

hen the Associated Press determined June 3 that Sen. Barack Obama (D-Il.) clinched the 2,118 delegates to win the Democratic Nomination, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton immediately put out feelers about the VP pick. Before Barack's landslide win in South Carolina Jan. 27, former President Bill Clinton suggested that Hillary consider Barack for VP. Five months later the 46-year-old first-term senator from Illinois finally finished off Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.), whose paralyzed fund raising racked up astronomical campaign debts. Now that Barack clinched, Hillary extends the olive branch, hoping (a) to have her campaign debts paid and (b) to get offered the VP slot. Had she bowed out gracefully she might have had a better shot. As it stands now, picking Hillary as VP could have disastrous consequences with independents and crossover Republicans.

      Hillary's supporters have long insisted that the former first lady would never settle for the VP job. “I am open to it,” said Hillary, after hearing the AP had already given Barack enough delegates to hit the magic number. Hillary told congressional colleagues in a conference call that she was open to VP if it helped beat presumptive GOP nominee Sen. John McCain in November. No matter how much you crunch the numbers, there's no way of factually knowing whether adding Hillary to the ticket would increase Barack's chances. While recent polls indicate that Hillary matches up well against McCain, they couldn't analyze the net loss of independents and crossover Republicans. For years, Hillary has been a lightening rod galvanizing GOP opposition. Many GOP strategists hoped to run against her in the fall, not Obama. Adding her to the ticket could backfire.

      Throwing in the towel, Hillary's campaign chairman Terry McAuliffe begrudgingly acknowledged the obvious on NBC's “Today Show.” ”I think Hillary Clinton will congratulate him and call him the nominee,” said McAuliffe, yet Obama received no such congratulations after the AP called the race today at noon. Unnamed campaign insiders speaking anonymously said Clinton will not formally end her campaign to retain leverage with Obama. Whether she knows it or not, she no longer has clout and only antagonizes the Obama campaign, unwilling to cut a deal on the VP or paying off her debts. While Hillary now says she's “open” to VP, Obama's team must engage in cold calculations. Picking Hillary, whether deserved or not, would seem hypocritical since the major premise of Barack's campaign was to get over Washington's partisan divide.

      Whether deserved or not, the Clintons, and more recently President George W. Bush, were associated with the most bitter partisan period since the Civil War. Barack ran on the premise that pigeonholing the country in red and blue states added to Washington's gridlock and threatened the nation. Since March 4, when neither Texas nor Ohio added to Hillary's delegate count, the race was mathematically over. Hillary hoped for a miracle, resisting attempts by party officials, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), to resign for the good of the party. Instead she ramped up her attacks and handed McCain the GOP the talking points for victory in the fall. Hillary relentlessly questioned Barack's foreign policy credentials, suggesting his leadership would imperil the country. Now that the contest's over, she expresses interest in VP.

      When Hillary speaks tonight after South Dakota and Montana make in official, she needs to concede and stop making conditions. “Senator Clinton will not concede the nomination,” said a campaign statement, hoping to pressure Obama into considering her as VP and paying off her campaign debts. That's not the graciousness expected from the loser in one of the most bitter, hotly contested campaigns in recent memory. “I deserve some time to get this right,” said Hillary, refusing to formally concede the nomination tonight. There's no more wiggle-room, no more eleventh hour deal-making, no more excuses for not, tonight, formally conceding and acknowledging publicly Barack as her party's nominee. Since March 4, Hillary has made excuse after excuse why she would press her case to superdelegates that she's the better candidate. With Obama hitting the magic number, it's time to show some class.

      When Hillary goes to the microphones tonight, it shouldn't be to play more games in hopes of getting Barack to pay her campaign debts and offer her VP. Playing more games and holding out one more night should effectively kill any chance, no matter how slim, of Hillary joining the ticket. Aside from the niceties, Barack must make a cold calculation how to win the White House and begin the painstaking process of remaking Washington. Whether Hillary deserves it or not, Barack must remain consistent with the central premise of his campaign: That he intends to start anew, cleaning the slate of old partisan rancor. No one—other than her husband—embodies the bitter partisanship more than Hillary. Barack must hold a steady course, keep a level head in the euphoria of victory and begin the methodical process of picking the right running mate to complement the ticket.

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.

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