Now the race for the Democratic nomination is presumably over, assuming that Lanny Davis was just blowing smoke about fighting all the way to Denver, I want to take a deep breath and think a bit philosophically about the fight for the nomination.
Hillary Clinton faces a realization that must sting like no other: she will never realize her greatest ambition. In her mind, the last sixteen years (at least) of her life—enduring her husband's presidency and its most embarrassing moments, two successful Senate campaigns—have been building to this moment, to a long-awaited rendezvous with history as the first woman president.
It was all for naught. She lost. She failed on a huge stage, with an entire nation watching.
And no matter what you think of her, you can't say that Hillary Clinton didn't try her damndest to land the job of Most Powerful Person on Earth.
I'm not suggesting we get weepy for Hillary or forgive her and her surrogates for what they've done during the campaign. Compared to nearly everyone else on earth Hillary doesn't really deserve much sympathy. She's rich and a sitting senator, and can be both of those things for as long as she wants to be.
Still, I keep thinking about it. Does Hillary Clinton know now that she'll never realize her greatest ambition? That she'll never be president? Can she face up to it, or is she insulated inside a Bush-style bubble? If has reached this realization, how can she drag herself to campaign events in West Virginia, Kentucky and Oregon?
I know in most parts of the country right now it's a gorgeous early Friday evening and spring is in bloom. But, if you wouldn't mind sharing a bit of your personal life story, what is the most painful realization you've ever made?
Thanks for reading.
Update: A special thanks to everyone for being so forthcoming and open in the comments. Painful realizations, regret, self-doubt: these are not sunny topics for a Friday afternoon. I find reading these realizations really interesting and would like to see more. Maybe I'm just into S/M :). Anyway, thanks again for reading and sharing so openly.