Obama hits a homer, Hillary fouls, and McCain strikes out

Just when we thought it was over, Barack Obama's shining historical moment was hijacked by Hillary Clinton. Despite being the David who had slain the Goliath, Obama's unprecedented victory has been tarnished by the ego-maniacal narcissism of what's left of the Clinton's political hubris. The flurry of activity throughout the day leading up to the final primary election night speeches left many politicos speculating as to how Hillary Clinton would finally concede her inevitable defeat. The end was near, right?  Not so fast.

There is no limit to the Clinton's ruthlessness. Did anyone honestly think, Hillary would go away quietly? Her comments about a possible "unity ticket" with her as VP was an absolute political calculation. Her campaign knew darn well the focus would shift away from her imminent defeat and Obama's extraordinary victory to detailed discussions about the pros and cons of placing her on the ticket and what her presence would do for Obama in the general election. It would force the Democratic party insiders to acknowledge the troublesome divisions within their party once Obama is officially the nominee, and who better to unify the party than "Hillary."

The alleged "dream ticket" wasn't supposed to be the center of attention on such a historical evening. What some Democrat voters may consider a dream ticket may actually be a nightmare for Barack Obama. Choosing a Vice President for the short-term gain of winning the White House may not turn out to be the best decision once you get there and realize you have to put up with them for the next four to eight years. Why do you think Michelle Obama  has been so unequivocal about her opinion on such an arrangement? There's nothing more detrimental to a newly minted President than having a VP with her own self-centered agenda that will stop at nothing to see it come to fruition. If Obama picks Hillary, he ends up with, as Dick Morris would say, a ménage-a-trios in the White House with you know who right in the middle. (Not that kind, sorry Bill!) 

Senator Obama knows he has a real problem in some key demographics he needs to win a general election, evidenced by the way he limped across the finish line after getting his you know what handed to him in several of the final primaries. Obama's resounding losses in Kentucky, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and other states where the white working class dominate the electorate, did not go unnoticed.

It was no accident the Obama campaign chose a predominately white swing state to give his victory speech. Nor was it an accident that Obama thanked his white grandmother for raising him to be the man he's become. Nor was it an accident that Hillary Clinton made the fact that 18 million people cast votes for her the centerpiece of her speech by continuously mentioning the significance and that she wants to make sure those people are "respected and no longer invisible." It's called leverage. If Senator Obama had known Hillary's non-concession speech was going to be such a self-aggrandizing reminder of her leverage, I'm not quite sure his skillful incorporation of Hillary into his victory speech would have been as congratulatory and gracious.

However, Obama's speech was a homerun. It was in stark contrast to the pitiful attempt by Senator McCain to inject his own relevance into a politically electrifying and historical day that clearly did not have room for him. McCain never should have given that speech, this day, from New Orleans of all places. Allowing McCain to give that tired speech in front of an uninspired crowd showed many people how tired and uninspiring his candidacy really is. He has legitimate criticisms of Obama and his policies but until McCain can figure out a way to repackage that message and present it in a more enthusiastic and fresh way, Obama will continue to have the upper hand in the PR department.

What should have been a night to celebrate the historic culmination of Barack Obama's audacity of hope turned into the audacity of Hillary Clinton. So, it seems it ain't over til the former First Lady sings.