Hillary Clinton Half-Concedes the Race. Sort of. Maybe.
A funny thing happened on the way to another tough, no-holds-barred Democratic debate: Hillary Clinton half-conceded the race to Barack Obama.
Or did she?
Listening to candidate Clinton, I think she did concede, sort of, when she warmly commented in a conciliatory tone:"And, you know, no matter what happens in this contest -- and I am honored, I am honored to be here with Barack Obama. I am absolutely honored. Whatever happens, we're going to be fine."
Even Hillary seemed to cringe before launching her cutest canned mean-girl line of the night, "... is not change you can believe in, it's change you can Xerox." She winced when the Texas crowd booed.
But listening to and reading email from her staff and stalwarts last night and this post-debate morning, one would think that the race is decidedly on and competitive.
Sen. Clinton's stunning remarks this morning on NBC's Today Show convinced me that she's either resigned to probably not winning the presidential nomination, or she's playing the resignation card in a last-ditch effort to win New Hampshire-style vulnerability votes.
When asked this morning by Meredith Viera if she plans to continue running after the March 4th primaries in Texas and Ohio, Sen. Hillary Clinton responded wearily, "Meredith, I don't make predictions... "
Her first-time reluctance to again boldly declare that she'll take her nomination fight to the Democratic Convention matched Bill Clinton's comment in Texas this week that if she doesn't score convincing wins in Ohio and Texas, she won't win the nomination. (After ten consecutive wins by Sen. Obama, the polls show close contests in both states.)
Has Sen. Clinton conceded the race to Sen. Obama?
Maybe. But this is Bill and Hillary Clinton, who can never be counted out. This colorful, powerful twosome is known for their persistence in the face of overwhelming adversity, and of making political comebacks again and again and again...
Hillary may, indeed, have half-conceded this race.
But if the door is suddenly half-open again for her to snatch the party's 2008 presidential nomination from the jaws of imminent defeat, look for the Clinton political machine to rapidly rev-up its mighty engines.
As I wrote last week, it's not over until it's over.
And this race isn't over until either Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton obtain 2,025 delegates to the Democratic National Convention.
Or until one of them formally concedes to the other. I wonder... could that moment be soon after March 4, 2008?
(Photo taken on Feb 21, 2008: Ben Sklar/Getty Images)
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AFP news service, Feb 22, 2008: Clinton denies defeat looming for her campaign
Comments
why is it that, when hillary clinton shows a little soul and sincerity and perspective, it’s viewed as weakness? i thought it was a well-put statement about her motivation in this race, hardly a concession. but then after she “sobbed” (didn’t even cry, just choked up) in NH, it was all over then, too. i’ll believe she’s out of the race when she says so. til then, it’s hardly over.
Kim, I fully agree that it’s not over until one of them concedes, or until one of them obtains 2,025 delegates.
I do wish she had shown more warmth, soul and humor all along in this campaign, rather than following Mark Penn’s scorched-earth campaign strategies. Might have made a big difference.
I don’t think this amounts to a concession. Certainly, you can never count a Clinton out, even if one of them is on the ropes.