In the end, no one begrudges a bitter-ender. Robert E. Lee is not vilified because he fought on too long, wasting lives and all of it, mind you, in the cause of slavery. In Israel, Masada is venerated because the zealots held out and killed themselves rather than surrender. Thermopylae is not considered a defeat but a lesson to us all: Never give up! This is precisely what Hillary Clinton is doing.She will be vilified if Obama loses in a close race that is defined by the smear attacks that the Clinton camp advanced. Let's not forget, for example, the involvement of Sid Blumenthal in the "Obama's a Muslim" emails, among many other examples. If he loses, she will be the most hated person in the Democratic Party. Zell Miller would be able to primary her for the NY Senate nomination in 2010. Hell, even Joe Lieberman would be able to beat her. Well, maybe not. But Zell? Perhaps.
I think this has finally sunk in with Clinton. She knows she can't win now, so she's going to stay in, like Huckabee did in his race, until Obama clinches it. That's why the voices have been lowered. And that's why I believe her when she says she'll work hard for Obama in the fall. Because doing that might set her up for a 2012 run if Obama loses. Nothing else will.
