"He can't win, Bill. He can't win."
According to ABC, Hillary Clinton uttered these words in desperation during the "heated" and "difficult" phone conversation she had with Bill Richardson after Richardson had informed her that he would be endorsing Barack Obama for President.
And I truly believe these words were uttered in desperation, and I truly believe they are honest words on her part. Not some spin to make her look better, or Obama worse.
And I truly believe these words have ended any future Mrs. Clinton has in Democratic politics.
If Hillary and her husband truly believe Obama can't win, then it is an exhibition of political tone deafness not seen since George H.W. Bush couldn't remember the cost of milk.
To any neutral observer, Barack Obama possesses something special. His oratory stirs and inspires long dormant and cold hearts. His near perfect campaign strategy during the last eighteen months will be chronicled and discussed in political science classes for decades to come. This junior Senator from Illinois, who has a weird first name, a middle name possessed by a late evil Middle Eastern tyrant, and a last name one letter removed from America's greatest current nemesis, has defeated the greatest one-two punch of political genius that has graced our presence during the last thirty years, all the while being an African American. These are no small hurdles in our society today. To any neutral observer, of course Barack Obama can win, for in capturing the nomination of the Democratic Party, he has defeated the wife of the greatest Democratic President of my lifetime; and for all intents and purposes, he has defeated Bill Clinton himself, considering that Bill Clinton has been actively and vehemently campaigning against Obama. This feat is unique and deserves respect, for defeating the Clintons was something that the Republicans could never do.
So, by the very nature of Barack Obama leading the race for the Democratic nomination, it cannot be said that he can't win. If you beat the Clintons, you can win anything. By winning the nomination, he can win anything.
Yet, that does not occur to the Clintons. Part and parcel of narcissism is the high opinion of yourself that you possess. And the Clintons have very high opinions of themselves. For how else can you say that the current frontrunner for the nomination cannot and should not win, but that you can and should. Such hubris requires ego. And that ego should be deflated now, not enhanced, given the fact that Hillary Clinton is almost certain to lose the race for the nomination to a man that was nowhere on the national scene less than four years ago. And since she, and they, are being beaten by a man who was nowhere on the national scene less than four years, you would think that Bill and Hillary Clinton would step back, maybe in admiration and awe, but definitely in respect, and say "Wow. He beat us. He can win. The party is in good hands."
But no.
The three words "he can't win" reveal desperation and a lack of respect. And they have probably ended Hillary Clinton's political career. She has now painted herself in a horrible and very small corner from which I see no possible escape.
If he can't win, how can you campaign for him in the fall?
If he does win, without your help and against your prediction and attack, what precisely does he or the Democratic Party owe you?
If he does lose, who would not blame you for it, considering the negativity of your primary campaign?
It's a Catch-22. To redeem her political career, and indeed, her life's work, Hillary Clinton must enthusiastically support and campaign for Barack Obama during the summer and fall. But how can she do that now?
How can you campaign for a man you deem not ready, too inexperienced, and unelectable because of his race? How can you campaign with enthusiasm for someone who can't win?
With her desperate words, her own blinding narcissism may have ended her career. And that would fit, since narcissists usually always go down in flames, one way or the other.