I have been forgetting one of the cardinal rules of American politics, set forth in the post-title above. Might Barack Obama somehow pull off the Democratic nomination, just because more people vote for him in primaries and he has more delegates? Sure… it’s possible. But he is running against Hillary Clinton, current matriarch of what Bruce the Veep politely calls the “Hillbilly MacBeths”. They play to win. Indeed, that is their appeal– really their only appeal. Now that they have finally had a successful play of the race card in TX and OH (and they hope it will also work in PA), coupled with their cheating in MI and FL (which, let’s face it, Hillary previously was part of the agreement not to count)… we may have finally reached those events that will eventually enable Team Clinton to overcome those pesky youngsters and Blacks and educated White people and the majority of Democratic primary voters and caucus goers who supported Obama, and take what rightfully belongs to the Clintons. Well, you won’t catch me napping again, so let me repeat: just never bet against a Clinton.
In the latest recitation of John McCain’s talking points that might come back to bite Hillary on the tush (except for “never bet against a Clinton”), Hillary now asserts that she has “crossed the commander in chief threshold”. Honestly, what in God’s name is that supposed to mean? Has she suddenly revealed that she took correspondence courses at West Point? Or does she mean… oh yes… she has been married to the commander in chief, so that qualifies her.
Sadly, the Obama campaign wasn’t fast enough to run a counter-ad to the 3 am bit, featuring a groggy President Hillary Clinton putting on the Presidential bathrobe, emerging from the Presidential bedroom, entering the Oval Office, and rushing toward the red phone, only to trip (at the last moment) over a heavy-set brunette in a beret crawling around the floor, apparently looking for something, while the tripping President Hillary misses the call (for good measure, a scene of a mushroom cloud follows). Of course, even if the Obama people had been swift enough to run such an ad… see above, re: “never bet against a Clinton”.
This has been… “Never bet against a Clinton.” We mean it, man.
If Obama is finally nominated, it’s going to be fun to watch Hillary explain why she’s endorsing him despite the fact that he would be a far greater threat than McCain to the survival of the Republic. (Of course, I still have fond memories of the very end of the 1972 Democratic Convention, at which Scoop Jackson endorsed McGovern while looking as though he would rather be cleaning toilets with his tongue.)
Really — for all the nasty things I’ve said about Hillary in the past — I was still not entirely off the fence about this race until the last few days, even given the NY Times’ revelation of Bill’s little influence-peddling orgy in Kazakhstan (and if “monstrous” isn’t the right word to describe THAT scandal, I don’t know what the hell is). I was still annoyed by Andrew Sullivan’s obsessive efforts to portray Obama as John the Baptist and Hillary as Salome — particularly given the fact that Obama unquestionably has been caught lying through his teeth, twice, about her health-care plan.
But her gushings over McCain’s lunatic military policies in the last few days have been the last straw (particularly when added to the Power Couple’s grim determination to keep all the details of their tax returns, contributor list AND pardon deliberations secret). To quote the incredibly embittered ex-Republican John Cole: WTF does that woman think she’s doing? I really am totally forced now to the conclusion that those two are totally willing to put themselves above the interests of both their party and their country: they’re perfectly willing to sabotage Obama’s general-election race just so that Hillary can get the chance to run in 2012. Even given Obama’s own occasional lies, his possible link to some minor-league dirt with Rezko (who has also turned out now to be another Friend Of Bill), and his slobbering anti-Semitic pastor friend, enough is enough. The main reason why I don’t want Hillary home baking cookies at this point is that, given her campaign techniques, I’d be afraid they might contain arsenic.
I see Hilzoy has noticed the same thing I have about Hillary ( http://obsidianwings.blogs.com/obsidian_wings/2008/03/crossing-the-th.html ) — not that it’s difficult to notice. With the Clintons, the moment comes when you just have to shake your head.