Leaving the Room With Dignity

Has Hillary Clinton finally admitted to herself that it's over?

A piece in today's New York Times by Adam Nagourney, Carl Hulse and Jeff Zeleny would seem to indicate that she knows that it's time for the lady in the pantsuit to pack it in:

... Mrs. Clinton’s associates said she seemed to have come to terms over the last week with the near certainty that she would not win the nomination ... Her associates said the most likely outcome was that she would end her bid with a speech, probably back home in New York, in which she would endorse Mr. Obama. Mrs. Clinton herself suggested on Friday that the contest would end sometime next week.

Has reality finally sunk in? One would think so, but then there are indications elsewhere in the same piece that Senator Clinton is still firmly in denial:

Gov. Phil Bredesen of Tennessee, a superdelegate who has been at the forefront of calling for uncommitted Democrats to make a choice soon after the last vote, said in an interview that Mrs. Clinton called him last week and urged him to “keep an open mind until the convention.”

So which is it? A graceful exit (if that's even possible at this late date) or whining all the way to the convention and beyond?

Democrats want a nominee. They want one now. They want this process to be over, so they can start working on the general election and the task of defeating John McCain. All Hillary Clinton can do at this point is make it more difficult for Barack Obama to win the general election.

So what is to be done? Hillary Clinton will not -- repeat, will not -- be the nominee. Barack Obama is not going to put her on the ticket (not unless he wants to be the first presidential candidate to be assassinated by his running mate). There's nowhere for her to go at this point.

There's a famous quote by a standup comedian named Lotus Weinstock: "I used to want to change the world, now I just want to leave the room with a little dignity."

Is Hillary Clinton capable of leaving the room with a little dignity? This week might give us the answer. But based on past performance, I wouldn't count on it.