The continued indecisiveness in the Democratic Party over choosing a clear cut winner of the nomination prior to the convention is likely to come back to haunt them in November. The one person who could change that scenario is Hillary Clinton and at this point it is unlikely that she will do anything to change the current situation and if you were in her shoes you probably wouldn't withdraw either.
Although the noise regarding a Clinton surrender has increased from the liberal wing of the party led by some of the media outlets, there has not been an outright stampede. Sen. Leahy and Dodd had called for her withdrawal in March but beyond that, not many party bigwigs will take her and Bill on in public at the moment.
Some of the reasoning may revolve around the idea that it might be a benefit to keep her viable as a fall back position. Although Obama has the numbers and what appears to be a thin but insurmountable lead it has also become increasingly apparent that he may not be quite the knight in shining armor that was originally thought.
The reasons that the race has tightened to this point are because the country is getting to know Sen. Obama more intimately and some of that knowledge has been disconcerting. The comments of Rev. Wright as well as his connections to former domestic terrorists William Ayers and Bernardine Dohrn have been unsettling to moderate swing voters. Some of his own as well as his wife's comments have exposed them as out of touch academics with lofty but campus like elitist naivete. His record on legislation is not a negative primarily because he doesn't have one.
Is another stumble of minor or even major proportions possible? It would seem improbable but as Clinton likes to point out, all her heavy baggage is on the table and has been gone over with a fine tooth comb. Even with the yoke of Bill around her neck she still is defeating Obama in key states. Indiana was not a crushing victory but never the less it was a victory and there are still more that she will win before the convention.
National polls are also another reason why keeping Hillary warmed up in the driveway may be a sound strategy. In head to head polls Hillary seems to do much better against Republican nominee McCain than does Obama. Currently polls here at http://www.realclearpolitics.com/ show McCain trouncing Obama in Florida by 9 points while Clinton leads by 1.7 in what is clearly a critical battleground state.
Hillary's strategy is both short and long term. She didn't double down with another 6 million of her own money because she was betting on an Obama stumble or unusual outcome between now and the convention on the presidential nomination. She was also investing that money in the possibility of a forced shot at the VP slot this year as well as looking forward to 2012.
It would seem that the VP option would be a long shot less because of her shared animosity with Obama but more because anyone on top of the ticket would be repulsed by the idea of Bill being in the administration as a loose cannon.
The longer range thinking might be that she could contest the race the rest of the way but in a more cordial fashion so as not to damage the party nominee and alienating party regulars. By racking up additional primary wins and continuing to build on her reputation as a formidable campaigner (grudgingly admitted to by even the most ardent Clinton foes) she sets herself up as the presumptive nominee in 2012 by merit instead of by media anointment as in 2008. This scenario only works if McCain defeats Obama and then has to run for re-election for a second term at 76 years old.
This is not long shot thinking. Obama is by no means a shoe in come November. The left wing of the Democratic Party has not had much success in winning the presidency and McCain is not going to be a push over.
Any Hillary opponents who think that an Obama nomination will drive a stake through the heart of Clintonism better rethink that idea. Hillary is going to be a big player on the national stage for a long time to come.
