Watching the desperate efforts of Hillary Clinton to push her failed Presidential bid long past the time to gracefully bow out, is increasingly troubling. She is campaigning in three states, today.
She has events scheduled today in the upcoming primary states of Oregon, South Dakota and West Virginia. Barack Obama will be in Washington today.
With her money drained and her options dwindling, a resolute Hillary Rodham Clinton vowed to press on with her presidential bid even as she and top advisers were hard-pressed to describe a realistic path for her to wrest the nomination from Barack Obama.
We are conditioned, in our culture, to admire hard work, persistence, and sloughing on in the face of adversity. We like those who "won't quit". We salute those who won't give up.
But there comes a moment, in each of our lives, when admitting that our efforts are doomed to fail is a good indication of our sound mental health. There comes a moment when we each must admit that our "dedication and hard work" has turned a corner and become an obsessive denial of reality.
I am saddened by the political calculations, and gang of cheerleaders surrounding Ms. Clinton. They are keeping her in a bubble of denial, and allowing her to refuse to acknowledge that it really is over.
Fantasy has replaced reality. Hard work has replaced hard thinking. Desperation has unseated decades of dedicated public service, and Ms. Clinton is being played the fool. Played the fool by those who line their pockets only if the campaign continue for another few days, or weeks, or months.
This saddens me. It saddens me to hear her voice become increasingly shrill. I saddens me to see the strain and fatigue etched on her face. It saddens me to see the flailing that attempts to deny reality.
And it angers me to hear Howard Wolfson and Terry McAuliff try to shape the understanding of her supporters to maintain the fiction that somehow this brilliant, gifted woman can win the nomination of the Democratic Party.
The Weasel Lords and Ladies of the Party, fearful of challenging the Clintons, afraid to break the news and put an end to this tragic display, also come in for a share of approbation. The Super Delegates, the media, and everyone continuing to promote this delusion should be soundly chastised by every American who values the political process. And, who values this woman enough to weep at her destruction.
Hillary, dear, it's time to come in now. Dinner is ready. Take off your coat, put up your feet and relax. The day is ended.