"The Audacity of Hopelessness"

The war in Iraq rages on, and the economy is looking pretty shaky these days. Surely there's no way the Democrats can lose the Presidential election, is there?

Oh, they'll find a way, my friends. They always find a way:

In short, Hillary Clinton’s presidential prospects continue to dim. The door is closing. Night is coming. The end, however, is not near.

Last week, an important Clinton adviser told Jim VandeHei and Mike Allen (also of Politico) that Clinton had no more than a 10 percent chance of getting the nomination. Now, she’s probably down to a 5 percent chance.

Five percent.

Let’s take a look at what she’s going to put her party through for the sake of that 5 percent chance: The Democratic Party is probably going to have to endure another three months of daily sniping. For another three months, we’ll have the Carvilles likening the Obamaites to Judas and former generals accusing Clintonites of McCarthyism. For three months, we’ll have the daily round of résumé padding and sulfurous conference calls. We’ll have campaign aides blurting “blue dress” and only-because-he’s-black references as they let slip their private contempt.

For three more months (maybe more!) the campaign will proceed along in its Verdun-like pattern. There will be a steady rifle fire of character assassination from the underlings, interrupted by the occasional firestorm of artillery when the contest touches upon race, gender or patriotism. The policy debates between the two have been long exhausted, so the only way to get the public really engaged is by poking some raw national wound.

For the sake of that 5 percent, this will be the sourest spring. About a fifth of Clinton and Obama supporters now say they wouldn’t vote for the other candidate in the general election. Meanwhile, on the other side, voters get an unobstructed view of the Republican nominee. John McCain’s approval ratings have soared 11 points. He is now viewed positively by 67 percent of Americans. A month ago, McCain was losing to Obama among independents by double digits in a general election matchup. Now McCain has a lead among this group.

For three more months, Clinton is likely to hurt Obama even more against McCain, without hurting him against herself. And all this is happening so she can preserve that 5 percent chance.

Via Ed at Hot Air, who's bursting with schadenfreude.

Even though she's my least favorite of the three remaining major candidates, I actually feel a little bit sorry for Clinton. Really, I do. I just can't help feeling for any politician, regardless of party, who sees her seemingly insurmountable lead wither away so steadily.

But if Brooks is right, and her campaign keeps sniping away at Obama just to prop up a lost cause, that sympathy will dissipate mighty quickly.

Damian P.

Update: note to James Carville: you're not helping. (via InstaPundit)

Posted by damian at March 25, 2008 08:52 AM