Not Counting Out a Clinton

There's always the chance that Hillary Clinton could come back, as this AP story makes clear.

The one fact that explains everything that Americans will see from Clinton is her gaping, yawning need to hold political power. It's something she feels not just motivated to do -- but entitled to.

She will never go away gracefully unless there is something in it for her -- whether, as speculated here by my co-blogger, it's a Supreme Court seat or a realistic chance to run again another day.

The fact that she continues to launch increasingly desperate attacks suggests that she knows that this is her big shot, and that no deal is in the works. That's good news for Republicans.

Perhaps the biggest problem for Hilary is that Democratic voters want to "feel good" about whom they're supporting. She doesn't have the coolness factor of Obama -- and in liberal circles, women aren't generally considered to have been as "oppressed" as African-Americans have been (they've never been a "discrete and insular minority," for one thing). Those two factors will do more than anything to doom her chances.