Knowing When To Exit The Stage

This week it was
announced that Hillary's name will be placed in nomination at the Democratic

Convention in Denver in a couple of weeks as a symbolic gesture.

The Roman Emperor Nero's reign started
out in such a glorious manner. He was both powerful and popular not to mention
progressive as well as a people's Emperor. He inherited a stable and sound Empire from Claudius who had annexed
Britannica (modern day Great Britain) into the Roman Empire. In fact as a
further guarantee of his virtuous intentions, he promised to model his rule on
the principles laid down by Augustus, and never missed an opportunity of being
generous or merciful, or of showing how affable he was according to Imperial
Emperor Historian Suetonius. Yet, in time Nero became drunk with power and his
vices became vicious. At nightfall he would put on a wig and hide in alleys and
attack men on their way home from dinner and drop their bodies down into
sewers. The people of Roman tolerated his madness as long as they could and the
Senate tried to get him to resign as Emperor but he refused to leave the stage.

Fast forward with me to August 2008 and
you will find an individual who simply will not leave the stage. Her name is
Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton. She and her 35 million simply cannot except or
unconditionally support the Democratic Nomination of Barack Obama. Every week
it is a new reason why "they" want their voices heard. This week it was
announced that Hillary's name will be placed in nomination at the Democratic
Convention in Denver in a couple of weeks as a symbolic gesture. Listen to what
one source has said "the Obama campaign always knew it would probably have to
happen." "They have known since the day she dropped out that she
wanted this 'for history,' " the operative said. Hillary's cry is that her
supporters want their voices heard and that this will help heal the wounds from
the primary season.

This is how Hillary put it ""I
happen to believe that we will come out stronger if people feel that their
voices were heard and their views were respected." Clinton said she wanted
her supporters to leave the convention feeling their voices were heard and
satisfied with Obama as the nominee.  "I mean everybody comes, and they
want to yell and scream and have their opportunity, and I think that's all to
the good, because then, you know, everybody can go, 'OK, great. Now let's go
out and win.'" Please send this rhetoric to the recycle bin and then delete it!
Hillary and her supporters want her to be the Democratic nominee instead of
Obama.

Listen to Hillary's response to this: ""Since
the delegate count is so close … what if you are called up for nomination and
what if you do win by a narrow margin?" a questioner asked her at the
event. "That is not going to happen, not going to happen. Look, what we
want to have happen is for Sen. Obama to be nominated by a unified convention
of Democrats," she said. "The best way I think — and I could be
wrong — but the best way I think to do that is to have a strategy so that my
delegates feel like they've had a role and that their legitimacy has been
validated and that kind of … you know, there is a catharsis," she said.
What is scary is that in Clintonesque fashion she neither says that she would
not accept the nomination nor that she would discourage her delegates from
pushing the issue.

Hillary and Bill ran a very good
campaign even if those of us who were once diehard Clinton fans in the
African-American community finally saw their true colors. However, they simply
do not want to leave the stage. Breaking news! There is no consolation prize to
the runner up on the big stage. The New England Patriots ran and romped through
the regular season and the playoffs. All they had to do to reach football
immortality was to win the Super Bowl. A strange thing happened in the desert.
The New York Giants won the game even though they had been counted out of the
game before kickoff! New England did and their supporters were not rewarded for
losing. They walked off the stage and allowed the Giants to bask in the glory
of a hard fought victory. The rule in football is that you can only have one
Super Bowl Champion at the end of the season. As far as Presidential Primaries
go, you can only have one nominee at the end of the Primary season.

Obama has had the unnecessary misfortune
of trying to please Hillary and Bill. He has been pressured and pushed. Both
Clintons will now speak at the convention. Fine but after the convention ends,
please leave the stage! This is Obama's time! This is Obama's moment! He has
earned it! He earned it against odds and obstacles! He should be the only one
on the stage. He should not have to share it with the Clintons and their
perpetual pining over power.

Oh yeah, what happened to Nero? Many
historians believed that he was behind the great fire of 64AD that almost
destroyed the entire city. Suetonius and Cassius Dio both say that as Rome
burned Nero sang the "Sack of Ilium" on his lyre in stage costume. While he
rebuilt the city with his personal funds and erected the glorious Domus Aurea, in
June of 68AD, the Senate declared Nero a public enemy of the state and on June
9 of that year he took his own life on the Salaria Road. The Roman Empire ended
of having four Emperors in the same year. Due to his narcissism Nero had
temporarily divided Rome. Since he refused to leave the stage, he was driven
from the stage.

Hillary and Bill please exit the stage before
you divide our party beyond foreseeable future.