I didn't find a post dealing with specifically with Hillary's last moment in the debate, so here we go.
Her last words:
SEN. CLINTON: And you know, whatever happens, we're going to be fine. You know, we have strong support from our families and our friends. I just hope that we'll be able to say the same thing about the American people, and that's what this election should be about. Thanks. (Cheers, applause.)
And the whole she-bangy-bang after the fold.
MS. BROWN: We have time for just one final question and we thought we'd sort of end on a more philosophical question.
You've both spent a lot of time talking about leadership, about who's ready and who has the right judgment to lead if elected president.
And a leader's judgment is -- is most tested at times of crisis. And I'm wondering if both of you will describe what was a moment -- what was THE moment that tested you the most, that moment of crisis?
[Obama responds first]
MS. BROWN: Senator Clinton.
SEN. CLINTON: Well, I think everybody here knows I have lived through some crises and some challenging -- (laughter) -- moments in my life, and -- (interrupted by cheers, applause).
And I am grateful for the support and the prayers of countless Americans. But people often ask me, how do you do it, you know, how do you keep going, and I just have to shake my head in wonderment because with all of the challenges that I've had, they are nothing compared to what I see happening in the lives of Americans every single day.
You know, a few months ago I was honored to be asked, along with Senator McCain, as the only two elected officials to speak at the opening of the Intrepid Center at Brooke Medical Center in San Antonio, a center designed to take care of and provide rehabilitation for our brave young men and women who have been injured in war. And I remember sitting up there and watching them come in: those who could walk were walking; those who had lost limbs were trying with great courage to get themselves in without the help of others; some were in wheelchairs and some were on gurneys. And the speaker representing these wounded warriors had had most of his face disfigured by the results of fire from a roadside bomb.
You know, the hits I've taken in life are nothing compared to what goes on every single day in the lives of people across our country. And I resolved at a very young age that I'd been blessed, and that I was called by my faith and by my upbringing to do what I could to give others the same opportunities and blessings that I took for granted. That's what gets me up in the morning. That's what motivates me in this campaign. (Cheers, applause.) And -- and you know, no matter what happens in this contest -- and I am honored. I am honored to be here with Barack Obama. I am absolutely honored. (Cheers, applause.)
SEN. OBAMA: (Off mike.)
SEN. CLINTON: And you know, whatever happens, we're going to be fine. You know, we have strong support from our families and our friends. I just hope that we'll be able to say the same thing about the American people, and that's what this election should be about. Thanks. (Cheers, applause.)
MS. BROWN: All right. A standing ovation here in Austin, Texas. Our thanks to Senator Barack Obama and Senator Hillary Clinton.
So were these real emotions welling up, or a cynical move by Clinton to seize the last moment with her human side and leave the voters with a positive impression of Clinton the candidate?
My take on the Croc:
I don't think Hillary is savvy enough to conjure up these emotions out of nowhere, or to fake them. I think the emotions come from a real place. But I think that Hillary, like Bill, can think on her feet with the best of them. When she feels them coming up she thinks fast and directs them in the best why she can. And it often works.
As is the case in New Hampshire, when it looked her campaign was falling all around her and she and everyone else knew it, the emotions came up. They come up when she knows she's no longer in control, which she seeks so intently. The writing is on the wall here as well. The mathis against her, and the she doesn't stand much of chance of halting Obama's delegate lead with Hillary's Alamo.
So she knows her back is against the wall and what she previously thought she had so assuredly is slipping away like wet sand through her fingers. So, it makes her emotional.
She knows the situation. So I do think it was a tip of the hat to say that if she doesn't take March 4 by the margins she needs to, she will gracefully drop out and unite the party. If she did, she would restore the respect that I lost for her and Bill in the run-up to South Carolina and all the un-democratic talk lately. Reader thoughts on this at The Caucus blog.
I also think that, without this last moment, where she left a positive impression in the minds of viewers, she would have gone down in flames.
She consistently took the low road in the debate. Especially during the plagiarism discussion. Obama's response knocked it out of the park.
Senator Clinton of late has said "let's get real." And the implication is, is that, you know, the people who have been voting for me or involved in my campaign are somehow delusional -- (laughter) -- and that -- (chuckles) -- that, you know, the -- (laughter) -- you know, the 20 million people who have been paying attention to 19 debates, and the editorial boards all across the country at newspapers who have given me endorsements including every major newspaper here in the state of Texas -- (cheers, applause) -- you know, the thinking is that somehow they're being duped and that eventually they're going to see the reality of things.
Then he took the high road:
And so just to finish up, these are very specific, concrete, detailed proposals, many of them which I've been working on for years now. Senator Clinton has a fine record.
So do I. And I'm happy to have a debate on the issues, but what we shouldn't be spending time doing is tearing each other down. We should be spending time lifting the country up. (Cheers, applause.)
Clinton's response? To go even lower:
MS. BROWN: Senator Clinton, is it the silly season?
SEN. CLINTON: Well, I think that if your candidacy is going to be about words, then they should be your own words. That's, I think, a very simple proposition. (Applause.) And you know -- you know, lifting whole passages from someone else's speeches is not change you can believe in; it's change you can Xerox. And I just don't think --
SEN. OBAMA: Oh, but that -- that's not what happened there --
SEN. CLINTON: No, but -- you know, but Barack, it is, because if -- you know, if you look -- (jeers from the audience) -- if you look -- if you look -- if you look at the YouTube of these videos, it does raise questions.
Hillary's supporters should be thanking their lucky stars that she was able to take the high road at the very end, because she had been roving (pun intended) the gutter. I could not believe that she was taking it lower with every chance she got. I found it pathetic and reaffirmed why, as an independent voter, she wouldn't be getting my vote.
My opinion, this thing is over and she knows it. There is a hell of a long shot chance that she could make some big wins in TX and OH and have the appearance of momentum, but even then she can't make up the delegate gap no matter what. Its an emotional realization for her, and that's where its coming from.