Obama, in victory, still must contend with Clinton

What happened

Five grueling months after he scored an upset victory over Hillary Clinton in the Iowa caucus, Barack Obama secured the Democratic presidential nomination this week, winning one of the final two primaries and the commitments of dozens of the remaining superdelegates. “Tonight we mark the end of one historic journey and the beginning of another—a journey that will bring a new and better day to America,” Obama told a wildly cheering victory rally in St. Paul, Minn. Obama immediately offered an olive branch to Clinton and her impassioned supporters, praising his rival for achieving “what no woman has done before” and lauding “her strength, her courage, and her commitment.”

In her speech in New York City, though, Clinton refused to concede defeat and made it clear there would be a price for her support. “A lot of people are asking, ‘What does Hillary want?’” she said. “I want the nearly 18 million Americans who voted for me to be respected, to be heard, and no longer to be invisible.” Through prominent supporters, Clinton made it known that she is “open” to being Obama’s vice presidential running mate.

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What the editorials said

What an extraordinary moment, said USA Today. As the first black presidential nominee from a major party, Obama has already accomplished more than many Americans once dared to dream. So has Clinton. “Both demonstrated talents that propelled them to the top of a field that included six white males when the race began.” The Obama-Clinton battle is a remarkable testament to the progress this country has made. “That, and not the endgame bitterness, should be its legacy.”

What’s truly extraordinary, said The Wall Street Journal, is that so many Americans are willing to put their future in the hands of a freshman senator with virtually no track record. Obama is an inspiring speaker and skilled campaigner, but no one seems to know how he would actually govern. He speaks of bipartisanship, but “his policy agenda is conventionally liberal across the board.” He trumpets his good judgment, but can’t explain how he belonged for 20 years to a church that preaches rancor and division. “In Mr. Obama, Democrats are taking a leap of faith that is daring even by their risky standards.”

What the columnists said

If there were any doubts about Clinton’s true colors, said Michael Tomasky in The Guardian Unlimited, she erased them with her ungracious non-concession speech. On a night when Obama should have been basking in victory, Clinton stole the spotlight with “the most abrasive, self-absorbed, selfish, delusional, emasculating, and extortionate political speech I’ve heard in a long time.” Playing that kind of hardball will backfire, said Dick Morris in Realclearpolitics.com. By essentially “demanding a kind of coalition government between herself and Obama,” she’s proving that he could never trust her. And why would he want a “ménage à trois” presidency with her and her uncontrollable husband, Bill?

Still, Clinton’s gambit has put Obama in a corner, said Fred Barnes in The Weekly Standard. If Obama rejects Clinton’s demands, she could contest the seating of delegates right up to the convention in August. But if he does try to heal the party by offering her the vice presidency, he’ll look weak. “Imagine what Republicans would say: If he knuckles under to the Clintons, how could he stand up to hostile world leaders?”

Whatever he chooses to do, said Ruth Marcus in The Washington Post, Obama had better treat Hillary with respect. For an example of how to proceed from here, he could study how Ulysses S. Grant made it easy for Robert E. Lee to surrender in 1865. Gracious in victory, Grant offered Lee terms that avoided what the Union commander called “an unnecessary humiliation.” That began the process of mending a broken nation. “How deftly Obama handles the endgame can shape the reaction of Clinton, and Clinton’s army, to what feels at the moment like a crushing defeat.”

What next?

In response to challenges from Republican John McCain, Obama is considering a trip to Iraq. He’ll also start running television ads immediately, to define himself to voters before the Republicans do. Obama campaign officials said it would take weeks or months to select a running mate, and Obama appointed a three-person search committee: Caroline Kennedy, the daughter of the late President John F. Kennedy; former Deputy Attorney General Eric Holder; and longtime Washington insider Jim Johnson.