Hillary Clinton's decisive victory tonight in Kentucky is again proof of the resilience of her campaign and that Barack Obama is simply not connecting with certain segments of the U.S. population. However, it is pretty clear that there is no plausible scenario in which Hillary can emerge as the nominee in 2008. They have both run formidable campaigns, but the numbers don't add up for her.
An Obama staffer I met with recently told me she has three choices:
1. Drop out in early June -- in good faith -- and swing behind Obama;
2. Use the leverage she has to force him to put her in the VP spot; or
3. Stay in the race even longer (possibly until just before the convention) to weaken him as much as possible and improve his chances of losing, thus setting her up for 2012.
The first scenario is the most likely. The Clintons are no dummies. The second option would not work (the Obama people are afraid and dreading the thought of it, though). Could you imagine Bill Clinton in the V-P's office? He would be constantly seen as undermining and scheming. The third is also a remote possibility; Clinton knows that any semblance of disloyalty on that scale would doom any future chance she would have.
While this whole thing has been great to watch, it is time for the Democratic race to end.
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 12:39 AM
