The Un-Ending, Un-Needed, "Race" for the Nomination

• CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) -- Hillary Rodham Clinton reached out for a largely symbolic victory in the West Virginia primary Tuesday over Barack Obama, front-runner in a historic Democratic presidential race nearing an end. Obama conceded defeat in advance in the state, looking ahead to the Oregon primary later in the month and the campaign against John McCain.

Enjoy. And your upcoming victory in KY. It's no less over now than it was on February 5th, and it was over then. Pull out or marginalize yourself for years to come.

• In particular, where Clinton was once a largely unifying force within her party (that, after all, was why her nomination had been seen as inevitable), she is now far more divisive.

The money quote:

• Her future depends on discovering a new role, even if it is not the one she had originally hoped to play.

Does she think she can play an important role anytime soon if she stays in the contest until June 3? She will still matter if she does, but much less than was possible if she were to leave after WV and/or Kentucky, so she can leave on a high note. If she stays until 6/3, she diminishes her political clout for a few years at least.
- posted by john @ 6:51 PM