Senator Clinton's speech last night was a justifiably proud recitation of her accomplishments over the course of this campaign, but it did not end right. She didn't do what she should have done. As hard and as painful as it might have been, she should have conceded, congratulated, endorsed and committed to Barack Obama. Therefore the next 48 hours are now as important to the future reputation of Hillary Clinton as the last year and a half have been.
I am so disappointed that she lost. As a long time Hillary Clinton supporter and more importantly, an admirer, I am sad that this historic effort has ended with such a narrow loss for her. The issues she raised and the people she touched have not been affected this way by any recent presidential candidate. And we were counting on her victory to change so much in this country. There will be the appropriate "if onlys" for a long time to come. If only the staff shakeup happened earlier; if only the effort in the caucus states had more resources; if only Hillary had let loose with the authentic female, connecting voice she found in the last three months of the campaign. If only. If only. I have written many times on this site about the talents of Hillary Clinton and why I thought she'd make a great President.
After last night's final primary, she was only about pledged 100 delegates behind him. Ironic that after not wanting to make the decision for so long, it was in fact, the superdelegates who made the decision. But I guess they did so for another reason. It just isn't her time. It is his time. It's a new day that offers a freshness to our party that many have longed for. We felt the rush of new voices and a new energy in the Congressional sweep of 2006 and the sweep continues. It has been an organic shift.
The life's work of Bill and Hillary Clinton in partnering with so many African Americans uniting our purpose and promoting our mutual issues is as responsible for Barack Obama's success as our first African American nominee as anyone. And yet, that joy is being denied for them by themselves. It is so sad.
So, I am also so very disappointed at how she has handled this last week. I know she is exhausted and she had pledged to finish the primaries and let every state vote before any final action. But by the time she got on that podium last night, she knew it was over and that she had lost. I am sure I was not alone in privately urging the campaign over the last two weeks to use the moment to take her due, pass the torch and cement her grace. She had an opportunity to soar and unite. She had a chance to surprise her party and the nation after the day-long denials about expecting any concession and send Obama off on the campaign trail of the general election with the best possible platform. I wrote before how she had a chance for her "Al Gore moment." And if she had done so, the whole country ALL would be talking today about how great she is and give her her due.
Instead she left her supporters empty, Obama's angry, and party leaders trashing her. She said she was stepping back to think about her options. She is waiting to figure out how she would "use" her 18 million voters.
But not my vote. I will enthusiastically support Barack Obama's campaign. Because I am not a bargaining chip. I am a Democrat.
Follow Hilary Rosen on Twitter: www.twitter.com/hilaryr
Loading comments… 
Hillary's "speech was all about her and what she has done and the 18 million who voted for her (Is she planning to hold these voters out as pawns in order to negotiate some political position for herself? Shame on you, Hillary!).
June 3 was a special and historic night the historicit
I agree again that Hillary by the time she gave that speech, was indeed exhausted. She’s the only woman in our nation’s history who has ever campaigned this hard and for this long. Even Shirley Chisholm didn’t have to last this long.
Fierce competitio
killinmeso
Mc Cain Democrat.
And I thank all of you for the lost opportunit
If Obama loses in 2008, remember more than half the Democratic party is made up of Obama supporters
How do you like them apples?
Obama 2008, or Clinton never.
Hopefully by then the Democrats would have another female to run, anyway. One with more experience
She is not the queen of the US she is simply a women who thought that she could stir up things by playing the race card and sexist card with a loaded deck. So please do not be so bold to say that blacks voted for Obama because he is black, because had she been respectful of us during her battle she might have gotten more of the black vote. Im tierd of folks using that soundbite as if there are a bizllion blacks in the US and no other group voted for him. Her biggest mistake was clearly pulling the race card. Where was all the outrage from the women voters then??? So we had to sit there and take it.
I Am Not a Bargaining Chip, I Am a Democrat -
http://www
Hillary has intelligen
xoxoxox
Anyone thinking of voting for McCain out of spite, please take a look at this video link. McCain is not change you can believe in. He did not even say a word against that type of language when a woman referred to Hillary as a b***h.
The joke he made previously about Chelsea was unforgivab
You can really say a lot about Hillary that she did forgive him.
It has been reported that McCain referred to his wife using a term which I will not even allude to.
Check out McCain's voting record regarding women.
http://www
Obama supporters are waiting with open arms. Ask the Hillary supporters who were at the Minnesota speech.
http://www
Punishing our soldiers with more time in Iraq will not live up to our obligation
Oh, bushwah! Those who called her supporters "a waste of space?"
Well, those open arms are one space I won't occupy.
Using a dollop of Minnesota "nice" is not enough to blind people to the months of exposure to the vicious, brutal little bamas all over the net—whethe
and hope to hell Mc(whateve
One more thing...it was NOT a tie. Obama won the delegate count, even surpassing Hillary's high number count projection
Obama won the machine...
Lying to yourself is no way to go through life.
Ex: We cannot support John W. Bush McCain because he is advocating the failed policies of Dick Cheney.
Ex: John W. Bush McCain refuses to support a recent G.I. bill in congress, citing "it gives too much benefits to our veterans."
Ex: America cannot entrust a currently unstable U.S. economy to John W. Bush McCain who is on record saying, he does not understand the economy.
Please, spread the word about John W. Bush McCain.
America cannot afford John W. Bush McCain--no