The Aftermath

Hillary Clinton, quite surprisingly to me, gave the best speech of her life last night on the second night of the convention. The New York senator did much to rehabilitating her image and radiated a kind of warmth and personality that would have worked greatly to her advantage had we seen it during the primary season. To some extent, the fact that she did a good job isn't totally surprising. Her concession speech in June showed her potential to deliver a good message. Provided rest and time to hone her rhetorical skills, Clinton can be an effective orator. Put on the spot and without adequate prep time and she is a bland, dull speaker.

Tarnishing the moment somewhat was the news that immediately leaked out to the press; Hillary intends intends to run in 2012 if Obama is defeated in November. Cynics will leap upon this revelation as confirmation that her ultimate aims are driven purely by self-interest and any pretense towards party unity is merely window dressing. Cynicism aside, what few can deny is that Hillary she simply doesn't know how to run a disciplined campaign. I'm ever more relieved that Obama, not Clinton is the nominee because if the roles were reversed, gaffe after gaffe could be easily expected, the cumulative, drip drip drip effect could have handed the Presidency to John McCain. If Hillary Clinton intends to run again, she must learn from the mistake of 2008 and tighten up the reins. As we discovered this year, being the front runner does not guarantee the nomination, and though she would be the favorite in 2012 if Obama is defeated in November, an undisciplined Team Clinton could easily prove to be its own undoing again.

This time around, they have only themselves to blame. This is what makes me deeply unsympathetic to the die-hard supporters. Instead of acknowledging that hard truth that the Clinton campaign was the reason for its own destruction, they want to look for external factors or instances of foul play. Living in a state of denial isn't good for human beings and it sure isn't good for those who support a particular candidate.