Hillary has lost the Democratic nomination, and Obama will be acknowledged as the Democratic nominee perhaps as early as late tonight, after the Montana and South Dakota results have been announced, or within the next few days at the latest, after a final and determinative adhesion of superdelegates.
How will Hillary react to all this? After all, she's fought a very vigorous primary contest, at times with an excess of perhaps unnecessary divisiveness and unsavory moves: she really was in it to win, no doubt about that.
Will she be a sore loser, and do everything possible to wreck Obama's chances in November? Will she act out of spite, motivated by a desire for revenge against the whippersnapper who "stole" the nomination that as late as February she claimed to be already hers and to which she supposedly believed herself to be entitled? Will she do everything possible to ensure McCain's victory in November, so that she will have another crack at the Presidency in 2012? Will she be so disappointed at the loss of the Democratic nomination that she'll run as an Independent or even line up on McCain's ticket as VP?
I don't believe that any of this will turn out to be the case.
Instead, I am convinced, once Obama is officially recognized as the Democratic nominee, Hillary will stand fully by his side, and will even campaign on his behalf till November with just the same untiring energy that she has displayed in her run for the Democratic nomination.
Hillary's legacy will be one of a supreme example of loyalty to the Democratic Party and its values. By doing so she will earn our gratitude and win our hearts. She'll be remembered thereafter as a truly great Democrat and one classy lady, and will continue to do excellent and innovative work as a Senator for NY.
Or so I hope.
And by the way, while I'm still gazing in my crystal sphere, I don't expect Bill to react in a similar, magnanimous fashion. In fact, I predict tensions, and perhaps even a moving on, on the home front for Hillary, after she loses the nomination and just finally tells Bill to stfu...