The end of the end is upon ua?

So, what does Hillary do when she hangs up the gloves? I don’t see her as Obama’s running mate. Politically, it isn’t the smartest move by Obama. So, does Hillary return to the Senate (remember, that job she was actually elected to do) with all the new baggage she carries from this election season? The Clinton Machine is broken, and the Clinton Brand has been severely (and perhaps permanently) damaged. Congress is full of Democrats who Hillary will see as having stabbed her in the back… and these Democrats will see her as the one who unnecessarily prolonged the Democratic primary … perhaps hurting the party’s chances of victory in November.

I don’t know. If I were advising Hillary, I wouldn’t be rushing back the Senate. I’d stick it out to the convention and hope something extraordinary happens that could somehow turn her luck around.

Not exactly the best news for Obama the day after he unofficially cliched the Democratic nomination…

RNC Chairman Duncan released the following statement tonight regarding the Rezko verdict:

“On the day Barack Obama hoped to unite his party after wheezing over the finish line and claiming the Democrat nomination, a jury in his hometown of Chicago convicted his longtime friend and fundraiser Tony Rezko of multiple felonies. This is further proof that Obama’s high-flying rhetoric is just that and in no way represents the kind of change our nation demands. Today’s verdict and Obama’s friendship with Rezko raise serious questions about whether he has the judgment to serve as president.”

UPDATE, by Mark Noonan: She didn’t quit. Not even slightly. Interesting.

UPDATE, by Mark Noonan: And we GOPers are rarin’ to go:

As Barack Obama wheezes over the finish line to his Party’s nomination, he has failed to convince voters that he has the experience and judgment to serve as Commander in Chief. Just as many members of his own Party refused to support his misguided policies, the majority of Americans will reject Obama’s plans to meet with hostile leaders instead of America ’s military commanders, and raise taxes on families and small businesses. The Republican Party is united behind John McCain, and we look forward to his debates with Barack Obama on how best to create new jobs at home and win the war against radical Islamic extremism. – Mike Duncan, RNC Chairman

It’s pretty much all but over for Hillary at this point. So, first I’d like to thank the Democratic Party (especially those pesky superdelegates) for securing John McCain’s victory this November.

So, let’s discuss the new issue of the moment: Hillary on the Obama ticket. Everyone is weighing in on the pros and cons.

Your thoughts.

UPDATE, by Mark Noonan: She didn’t quit. Not even slightly. Interesting.

Looks like all the signs are pointing to it.. but I’ll believe it when I see it.

Hillary Rodham Clinton will concede Tuesday night that Barack Obama has the delegates to secure the Democratic nomination, campaign officials said, effectively ending her bid to be the nation’s first female president.

Obama is 40 delegates shy of clinching the nomination, but he is widely expected to make up the difference Tuesday with superdelegate support and votes in South Dakota and Montana. Once he reaches the magic number of 2,118, Clinton will acknowledge that he has secured the necessary delegates to be the nominee.

The former first lady will stop short of formally suspending or ending her race in her speech in New York City.

Is it really over for Hillary, or does she have some trick up her sleeve?

UPDATE: According to The Hill, Hillary’s campaign is still saying she won’t drop out tonight.

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton’s (D-N.Y.) campaign spent much of the morning creating mass confusion as to what the evening could bring.

Terry McAuliffe, Clinton’s campaign chairman, said on MSNBC that he thinks Clinton would concede if Obama passes the delegate threshold Tuesday night.

Since those comments, however, and a subsequent story by The Associated Press that repeated that the former first lady was set to concede, the Clinton campaign has pushed back, asserting that the New York senator has no intention of dropping out Tuesday night.

UPDATE, by Mark Noonan: She didn’t quit. Not even slightly. Interesting.

The internet tax is coming… and now I have to pay it as a resident of New York state…

The media seems eager to write an unhappy ending for Hillary… but somehow, I’m not convinced she truly is planning to call it quits. This story seems to suggest she’s strategizing her campaign’s end.

Negotiations are understood to be taking place between the Obama and Clinton campaigns about the Illinois senator helping to repay some of the massive debt incurred by his rival. One of Hillary Clinton’s donors said that the former First Lady’s campaign was as much as $40 million in the red.

In a conference call with major donors this afternoon, contributors were told by Harold Ickes, a senior Clinton adviser, that she was unlikely to pull out of the race until the issue of her massive debts was resolved. The New York senator has lent her own campaign at least $11.5 million.

One source close to a major donor said: “It’s not about the vice-presidency or any other position she might get. It’s about the money – in particular the Clinton family money.” The Obama campaign might have to reach deeply into its well-stocked coffers in order to secure the full support of Mrs Clinton and her husband Bill in the November general election.

So, is it over? If i had to wager money, I would put my money on ‘no.’

So, apparently my former senator thinks that on 9/11 we were “basically at peace.”

Barack Obama is trying to capitalize on a recent story about two McCain advisors who are linked to a 527 group that is attacking Obama.

Of course, Obama has his own issues with campaign officials and advisors, such as the advisor who recently left after it was reported he held talks with Hamas. But, there’s also this story, reported yesterday by The Washington Post, about Obama’s campaign co-director who is also a federal lobbyist for the government of Puerto Rico.

Ethics watchdogs said that the high-profile role of Francisco J. Pavía appears to contradict the Obama campaign’s ethics guidelines, which forbid federal lobbyists from working on staff. But Obama spokesman Bill Burton said Pavía is an “active volunteer” — not a paid staffer — and can hold the job without running afoul of the campaign’s rules.

Because all campaign have co-directors who are just active volunteers.

Obama’s hypocrisy over connections to lobbyists has been well documented but highly ignored by masses. Not too long ago, Obama alleged that lobbyists were running McCain’s campaign…

Really, what does all this finger pointing prove? Obama talks the talk, but he doesn’t walk the walk. He may think he’s doing himself a favor nitpicking over advisors connections to this group or that, especially given his own past problems (which there is always a crafty excuse for) … For a candidate who claims he doesn’t like campaign distractions from the issues, he certainly has a love for distractions he thinks he can benefit from politically.

At a town hall meeting in Reno, Nevada, John McCain made the follow statement and posed the following question.

Senator Obama has been to Iraq once. A little over two years ago he went, and he has never seized the opportunity, except in a hearing, to meet with General Petraeus, with General Petraeus! My friends, this is about leadership and learning.

[…]
Now, why is it that Senator Obama wants to sit down with the President of Iran, but hasn’t yet sat down with General Petraeus — the leader of our troops in Iraq?

Something tells me Obama would sooner sit down with Khalid Sheikh Mohammad than General David Patraeus.

Yesterday, RNC Chairman Robert M. “Mike” Duncan released the following statement:

“Barack Obama has only visited Iraq once – and that was 871 days ago. Despite lacking the experience and leadership to be Commander-in-Chief, Obama has done shockingly little to educate himself firsthand about the war in Iraq. Instead, he displays an arrogant certainty gained on the campaign trail. How would Obama make informed judgments in the future when he has not seen the situation in Iraq since the surge began? Why does Obama readily agree to one-on-one negotiations with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, but decline one-on-one briefings in Baghdad with our military leaders? Obama’s failure to visit Iraq, listen and learn firsthand, and witness the surge’s progress demonstrates weak leadership that disqualifies him from being Commander in Chief.”

… amongst other things that disqualify him from being Commander in Chief.
The RNC has launched an online clock counting the days since Obama’s last visit to Iraq.

Jim Geraghty has more.

UPDATE, by Mark Noonan: Vets for Freedom chimes in with a devastating ad about Obama’s unwillingness to meet with those who know the truth about Iraq – our soldiers.