A Clintonian Conundrum

Does she stay in the race and face a mortifying loss next Tuesday or does she get out with some dignity and credibility still intact?

As analysts declare that Hillary Clinton needs to win, and win soundly, in Texas and Ohio in order to remain even remotely viable in the race for the Democrat nomination, Drudge is promising a “developing” story claiming Barack Obama has garnered a four percent lead over Hillary in Texas.

A drubbing next Tuesday would be the supreme mortification. To go from presumed-and-inevitable to castaway in a matter of months may forever weaken the Clinton brand, both here and abroad. It could impact both the Clinton’s powerbase and profits.

Hillary could back out of the race this weekend – “suspend” it – and take her chances that between now and the Democrat convention some of Obama’s sparkle will have faded with the public, some backlash to his charm will begin. She knows the nature of the game of politics: one flub, one bad photo, one unguarded moment and the rise and rise of Obama can come a swift descent. Pulling out now, saving her strength and garnering new resources while leaving Obama to take some licks from the experienced and hungry John McCain could be a good strategy. By convention time, the Democrats – currently as sick of the Clintons as the rest of us – might actually be happy to see her re-emerge, refreshed and “ready.”

And ducking out now would buy Hillary some time. The inquiries about her husband’s business ventures, the requests for her White House papers and – perhaps most importantly – the clamor to see her tax returns, will die down, giving Mr & Mrs Clinton and their staffs some time to study these documents and develop appropriate spin for each, should they ever be released to public and press scrutiny.

There could be many advantages to a “suspension” of the Clinton campaign, and no doubt those advantages are being discussed today, and being measured against the risk – the one overwhelming risk – that between tomorrow and this summer the nation will discover that it does not miss Mr. & Mrs. Clinton in the slightest, that it is content to keep him in his borrowed private jets and her in the senate, where wonks and scoundrels may safely graze, and their spouses skip serious scrutiny.

That will surely be a disappointment to Hillary’s personal ambitions, but it might – in the end – be a bit of a relief, after all. And besides…they’ll always have Yucaipa.