End Game: Clinton's Exit Strategy

In the aftermath of the Indiana and North Carolina Democratic primaries, I have at least one observation having watched the results and Hillary Clinton's speech.

What do President Bush and Hillary Clinton have in common? Neither had an exit strategy ready.

The curtain on the long Clinton Broadway campaign is coming down. It hasn't hit the floor yet, but it's real close.

The math and the money and the message and the momentum are all now basically and inevitably against her. And her remarks after the results became clear show she is unprepared to accept defeat at this point and exit.

The writing is on the wall but it looks like she doesn't want to read it.

It will come but may take some time to accept reality.

Barack Obama cleared the last big hurdle he needed to clear this week. He had to show the superdelegates and the Democratic party that he wasn't damaged goods and could take hits and walk through adversity. That through the last month's struggle he could bounce back, that he could learn and grow as a candidate, and then win after that.

Obama's convincing win in North Carolina proved that he is ready for primetime and can fight the good fight headed into November. And that is one of the most important lessons in this presidential process.

My prediction is that slowly and assuredly superdelegates will move in his direction in the days ahead and that this will confirm his status as the Democratic nominee.

He now has a larger delegate lead than he had before the string of Clinton victories over the last six weeks. That is an undeniable fact.

Clinton will come to this conclusion at some point soon. It might take days. It might take a few weeks. But that truth will be faced. First in her head and then in her heart.

So, hopefully one of her campaign generals is putting together that exit strategy so she can implement it soon.

Originally published by ABC News.

Comments

[ChaucerDaisy]

Another thing King George and Queen Hillary have in common? Defiance.

When encouraged by the Iraq Study Group to bring troops home and increase diplomacy with the Iraqi government, fragile though it may be, what did Bush do? He basically said, "F--- you," and implemented the "Surge."

When the 9/11 Commission concluded our greatest failure on that 2001 day that will live in infamy was "a failure of imagination," Bush did not appoint a Director of Imagination, a Director of Creative Solutions (or an appropriately named official to focus on outside the box ideas). Instead he appointed a new Director of Intelligence.

Like Bush, when Hillary is encouraged, counseled, even told point blank that her chances to win the 2008 Democratic nomination are mathematically impossible and she and the Democratic Party benefit from her concession to Sen. Obama, it doesn't matter. This isn't about Obama or the American people. Please. This is about her.

It's as much The Hillary Show as the military invasion* is The King George/ Prince Dick Show.

*There is no war. Precise language enlightens us to know that only Congress can declare war. This is a military invasion and illegal occupation of a foreign country without legal authorization to liberate or occupy.

Media: Insist in leading the country using precise language (journalists anyone?) to state, "Iraq Invasion not the Bush propaganda of Iraq war," we'd hear the difference in terms, understand the difference and solutions would be obvious. No "victory" required.

[missjabez]

I wonder if Hillary will divorce Bill after the election. He provided some good entertainment, but being entertaining didn't help Hillary's campaign.

[Kingbreaker]

Doubtful.

Whatever their private relationship is really like, in public it appears that they really do have a bond that's beyond convenience. If it works for them, more power to 'em.

[burnt]

"What do President Bush and Hillary Clinton have in common? Neither had an exit strategy ready."

Good analogy, good analysis. Thanks Mathew

[filo]

It is a good line.

Mind if I borrow it?

[ebbtide]

Whatever. I will never hand over any compliment to Hillary and Bill Clinton. Never. They have provem themselves to be, not Democrats, but pandering , lying politicians of the worst sort who have no compunction or regrets about destroyimg another Democrat and supporting the Republican nominee over a fellow Democrat. I can't wait to see on C-Span, between a vote, whilst the honorables wander around the Senate well, forming small groups to talk to each other, while Hillary wanders around with no one willing to be seen talking to her---except maybe Joe Lieberman.

I will never give either of them the time of the day. They are shameless, sleezy, lying scam artists and do not deserve to be let down easily or saved from criticism.

[Kingbreaker]

I'm trying to be optimistic. I'm assuming she'll agree to a deal that preserves her reputation (or some of it) and at least doesn;t interfere with the November election.

In Japan the honorable thing to do, when faced with defeat, is to nobly sacrifice oneself. She needs to be thinking along these lines. Not literally, obviously.

Forgiveness is the most important human act.

[Doofus]

And Bill Clinton could have resigned, gone the 'Nixon route', and turned
over the presidency to Al Gore. What a different world it would have been, no?

It's not 'Clintonian' to gracefully accept the sort of treatment she's getting,
rather it's to attempt maneuvers as graceful as possible to get around the problems.

Selfish? Not when they know best what's best for US.

[cynara]

This was a large part of the reason I decided to vote for Obama. Her unwillingnes to admit that her vote for the Iraq war, not to mention her grandstanding threats at Iran, were more than a bit uncomfortably familiar to me - not backing down, even when it was the correct thing to do.

If she's willing to stay in a race she's already lost, do we actually think she would have the flexibility to revise NAFTA, which she championed from the beginning? I doubt it. I need a flexible president, not someone who grandstands to the finish. I voted for Obama.

[Doofus]

Top 10 reasons...

'Half-vast West-Wing Conspiracy turned against me.'

'Bill & Chelsea just did not work hard enough.'

'Was not able to convince self to lend enough cash to campaign.'

'Confused by support & advice from Karl Rove.'

'Not enough attention paid to advice from Billy Krystol.'

'Totally ignored advice from Billy Crystal.'

'Turns out I was just too nice.'

'Barbra Streisand.'

'Arianna Huffington.'

'Barack Obama.'

[Doofus]

'Not enough attention paid to advice from Billy Krystol, Maureen Dowd, Dave Brooks, Tom Friedman & Frank Rich.'

'Totally ignored advice from Billy Crystal; did NOT totally ignore advice from Rob Reiner.'

[sfbayani]

That was what Bill Clinton probably meant when he said yesterday, Pray for Hillary.
That Hillary will not break ... mentally, psychologically