Hillary did well enough. She doesn’t need to win Texas or Ohio to stay in the race, but, certainly, having victories in “Super Tuesday II” would give her greater traction in her run against Senator Obama. With ties or victories, Senator Clinton would still have a viable, believable and confident trajectory for the Democratic Party nomination. Simply stated, she does not have to win 2025 delegates before the DNC convention to face off with the GOP nominee, but she must block Obama from reaching that number first. If she is able to stop Obama from a complete victory, the Clinton team will be able to use various tactics and rules to persuade uncommitted and super delegates to support her run. Once HRC and her team can pull off this coup, in the words of Drowning Pool, “Let the bodies hit the floor.”

Rest assured, Senator Clinton (the words still stick in this native born New Yorker’s throat) will manipulate, triangulate, and decimate the rules, procedures, and delegates to put her name at the top of her party’s ticket. Obama will most probably carry the popular vote, but he is unlikely to have enough delegates to avoid a brokered convention, primarily because he will follow the DNC’s ruling denying Michigan and Florida their delegate votes. (That this was a foolish move by Chairman Howard Dean and the DNC Rule Committee is the major cause of the need for a brokered convention is beside the point.) HRC could let the ruling stand, but doing so might cost her victory. The cry of “let every vote count” will become an ironic ghost, but like most ghosts, it will quickly fade from memory. If Hillary uses this or any other manipulation of the rules, you will hear a righteous out cry from one of the most loyal and steadfast constituencies of the Democratic Party, African Americans. Blacks will protest vigorously that the true candidate was denied. Most followers of Obama’s will find forgiveness to be too much to bear; voting for Billary will be an anathema to half of the Left. The betrayal of principles by Hillary and Co. will shock few on the Right, but for some reason, most on the Left can only see Hillary as a persecuted saint. Once Obama is martyred by Hillary’s henchmen, for surely she will cover herself with a chimera of innocence, the veils will fall from the eyes of all who have worshipped at the altar of Clinton.

That Clinton’s victory will damage her party for years to come is not her primary concern. She is in this to win it – at any cost. Simply stated, Hilary is more even more narcissistic than her husband, The Boy President. Hillary believed that the nomination was to be hers; she expected a coronation not a contest. (This is one of the reasons she is poorly financed and organized in the later primary states.) Her performance in last night’s debates was polished and poised, but the fight seemed to have gone out of her. But she is far from finished. Hillary knows once the convention is convened, her team will do everything in its power to secure her nomination. No skeleton will be left closeted, no arm untwisted, no rule or ethic unbent – Hillary will have her victory.

The schadenfreude of watching Hillary fall will pale in comparison to watching the Democratic Party reenacting 1968’s Chicago Convention if Hillary should elbow her way to the top. Lady Macbeth had nothing on the Junior Senator of New York.

Bill says if she doesn't win Texas and Ohio, she can't be nominated but what does he know, right?

Of the last 25 superdelegates to have declared, all have declared for Barack Obama. And two more have defected from Hillary Clinton. This strongly suggests that the superdelegates are not going to let the Democratic party commit hara-kiri for the sake of satisfying the ambition of the Clintons.

If Barack Obama wins a majority of the delegates up for grabs on March 4, I would expect the trickle of superdelegates declaring for Obama to turn into a stampede. Waiting until the convention to settle this would just be a gift to the Republicans.

Hillary is smart enough to know that she could use tricks to gain the nomination, but that she'd lose the race because of it.

I think she may be contemplating VP and then president in 8. She can only become president by helping pull the party together. I would have argued that Hillary's ego would not let her accept the number 2 spot, but her conciliatory tone at the debate makes me wonder.

I think Obama would have to be out of his mind to pick her as VP, he needs to choose an elder statesman of the party to balance his ticket and that is not lugging around a ton of political baggage.

I would prefer Obama to pick Biden. He needs the expertise and I've heard Biden supporters pushing that option. Wesley Clark would be another interesting option.

Bill Richardson might be considered and there are people who talk him up as a good choice.

I actually thought that the Clinton/Gore model wasn't bad. Gore had a job, unlike Quayle. He provided value. If a president were to construct a team, including the VP, and build it in a way that did not have the kind of rivalries that Bush's team did....it could be far more productive.

I agree with you that Hillary would not be a good subordinate. She would attempt to be another Cheney.

What would you think of Chuck Hagel as VP?

How about if it's a virtual tie?

pwoxby may be correct; the Democrats might have a better sense of self-preservation than has been demonstrated in recent history, but since I disagree with most positions taken by the Democrats, I will not be saddened by Hillary allowing her grand ambitions to take down her party if she is not allowed to be crowned. HRC has proven herself to be vindictive time and time again. Few would be surprised to see that if the game is not played her way, she will take her ball home. Team Clinton knows full well that this is HRC’s only chance to run; she will not accept the VP spot, nor will it be offered. (Sorry, Middleview.)

Sickofleft makes a very good suggestion in that the Dem VP must be experienced. HRC needs to team up with a seasoned VP as much as Obama; her claim of experience is laughable: the majority of what she claims as experience is by proxy of sleeping with her husband. (And many women can claim that experience.) If I slept with Sally Ride, that would not make me an experienced astronaut. If HRC can find a brand name, senior Dem who does not have major baggage of his own, she is a better politician than I ever suspected.

Senator Biden has plenty of his own baggage, and after Hillary and Co. went after Obama for alleged plagiarism, picking Biden would open her up to charges of hypocrisy; Biden’s first run went down in flames on that issue. Governor Richardson would be an excellent pick for VP for Obama since he does so poorly with the Latino voters, but he would be too much of a “throw back” to the Bill’s administration to be an asset to either candidate.

Lastly, Hillary will not take the VP spot with Obama for many reasons, a list too numerous to run here, but a short run anyway. Obama is running as an agent of change; HRC is NOT change; she is the “old guard” against which Obama is running (away). Hillary would be a drag on the ticket; Obama has a strong grip on the (Liberal) the North East, so HRC would add nothing geographically. Further, HRC’s leaving the senate would give the GOP a chance to take a currently secure seat. Lastly, HRC is a limousine liberal.

In LL views, blacks were put on God’s green earth so Liberals will have someone to help. LL are the worst sort of bigots of all. They think of programs to “assist the poor unfortunates” so they can assuage their own liberal guilt for having the nerve to be born white and affluent. They feel a sense of noble oblige as long as they are helping the “powerless and down trodden.” Once the blacks succeed, they have no need for them (e.g., Condi Rice, General Colon Powel and Justice Thomas). Hillary taking orders from Obama would be a sight to see, but as long as The South grows cotton and New York grows Liberals, it ain’t gonna happen, son.

Why is it a given that Barack Obama will choose a Democrat as a running mate? I'm thinking that he'll go with a moderate Republican woman. Christine Todd Whitman to be specific. A former New Jersey Governor, she actually quit the Bush administration out of disgust.

"What would you think of Chuck Hagel as VP?"

He would be great for McCain but I don't think they could ever reconcile on the war. I can't imagine him agreeing to be on the Dem ticket.

The fundamentalist fringe would never go for Hagel as VP. I think they are going to push Huckleberry on McCain.