HILLARY WANING

Clinton’s moment may have passed. At the beginning of the campaign, she seemed to feel that she was the heir apparent, that it was her time. The also rans got beat up and left, the perennial losers and a few more. Then, it was Clinton and Obama and the unthinkable happened. People liked Obama (well, Democratic people). People didn’t like Clinton so much. In state after state, she had the lead until she got there. Then she arrived and began campaigning, and the lead vanished. Was it Obama’s charisma or her lack of it?

After earning only a split instead of a 2-fer with Indiana and North Carolina, Clinton is hanging on by her fingernails. Unfortunately for her, she won small in Indiana and lost big in North Carolina. Despite the storm over Obama’s angry pastor, he has maintained his lead in delegates and increased his popularity nationwide among Democrats.

Clinton is behind in elected delegates, ahead but fading in the lead among super delegates, losing the popular vote and being doubled by Obama in the number of states carried. While he is flush with cash, she is loaning money to her campaign. She is having a tough month. But, she is tough, and she is campaigning tough. It has not won her enough to catch up, but is exposing Obama’s weaknesses. And it is causing the Democratic leadership to get nervous. So, they are calling for her to quit. The more she bloodies Obama, they think, they less his chances for nomination.

Clinton has the right to stay in the race until the convention. Obama is going to get bloody if he gets the nomination (do you think the Republicans have not dug up these same weaknesses?) so he might as well get his scars now. And, you never know what will happen.

Clinton’s new message seems to be “The Democratic Party can't win with just eggheads and African-Americans". I agree, but it doesn’t sound much like what you hear from politically correct Democrats. It is a dilemma for Clinton. If she points out the obvious, she is playing the race card. Guess what we learned long ago, Ms. Clinton. The Black candidate can play the race card, the Anglo cannot.

One guy that knows a lot about losing is George McGovern, crushed by Richard Nixon in his run for president. He wants Clinton to turn out the lights and go home. He used to support Clinton, but has now decided to endorse Obama. Politicians love to land on the winning side. Loyalty is hard to come by.

McGovern said it's virtually impossible for Clinton to win the nomination. McGovern said he is still friends with the Clintons. We’ll see. Dick Morris also used to be a friend of Bill and he says it’s over. Zogby, the pollster, says it’s over. Does anyone have a recording of Don Meredith singing “turn out the lights, the party’s over” on Monday Night Football?