Hillary Clinton has withdrawn scheduled appearances on television this morning. Right now, I imagine she’s been having a long breakfast and has taking her time waking up — a luxury in a campaign for the nomination that has taken over a year. Then she’ll be meeting with her top advisers and considering, considering, considering.
As I see it, Hillary Clinton has three options:
1. Continue to campaign as if she can win the presidential nomination, making it her primary aim to attack and undercut Barack Obama.
2. Continue a nominal campaign that implicitly recognizes she cannot win the presidential nomination, focusing her negative attention on John McCain.
3. Withdraw from the presidential race.
There is no Option #4 that involves Hillary Clinton actually winning the nomination in her campaign. Barack Obama expanded his delegate and popular vote lead in last night’s voting. There are no more big state primaries left, unless you count Oregon, sort of, and Barack Obama is strongly favored there. Starting today, you can expect to see a number of superdelegates announce their support for Barack Obama (the process started after last night’s vote with the announcement of Jeannette Council for Obama). Hillary Clinton has run out of her arguments. The pledged delegates are with Obama. The superdelegates are with Obama. The popular vote is with Obama. Even with Florida and Michigan seated against the very rules that Florida and Michigan and all candidates explicitly agreed to, the result will tilt to Obama. There’s nothing left for Hillary Clinton to lean on that is under her control. If Barack Obama reveals himself to be an invading space alien from the planet Nurg, or if he is assassinated, then all delegates will be released and presumably Hillary Clinton will be the nominee. But these events are all Hillary Clinton has left, and they are not under her control.
Hillary Clinton has just scheduled an 11:45 am appearance in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. We’ll be able to see Clinton’s new approach on display there. One way or another, quickly or slowly, Hillary Clinton will be leaving the campaign stage. I hope for her sake that she doesn’t end up having to be dragged off.
