James, the real pain for
Hillary is in choosing between two unpalatable options. Either (a)
she keeps going and is seen by Democrats as a sore loser dividing
the party, or (b) she packs it in and is seen by her supporters as
a quitter who was insincere in her vow to fight it out.
One of the most persistent complaints of the Left in recent
years is that Democrats don’t fight, that they roll over too easily
for the Bush administration. Whether this accusation is fair or
not, there could be real value for Clinton in securing her
reputation as a fighter — even if it’s fighting against Obama and
the DNC all the way to Denver.
If Obama subsequently goes down to defeat in November, Clinton
could then say, “I told you so,” and begin her 2012 campaign with
the mantle of a pugnacious candidate who never quits — which is
exactly what the Democratic base has been demanding for years.