Hillary Clinton is not going to win the Democratic nomination. Not in 2008. Not in 2012. Not ever.
Furthermore, she's not going to win the presidency. Not in 2008. Not in 2012. Not ever.
So why do I think that she should stay in the race?
Firstly, this is America, and she has every right to run for political office. But this is more an answer to why she has the right to stay in the race, rather than why she should.
The reason she should stay in the race is that she is doing irreparable damage to herself and those like her in the eyes of Democratic voters. She has a leadership role in the DLC. She is for becoming more like Republicans to try to steal their voters rather than presenting an alternative view to inspire Republican voters with better ideas. That is the mantra of the DLC. That and being nice to corporations in order to get that sweet sweet corporate cash.
This wing of the Democratic Party needs to die. A good public thrashing of these philosophies, and the people who espouse them is needed. Fortunately, Hillary is willing to take the thrashing and pop right back up for more thrashing. She, at least, is being exposed for the lying (snipers), race exploiting (Ferraro, african garb, Bill's Jesse Jackson comments), double-talking (nafta, trade in general), Republican tactic stealing (3am fearmongering, election rigging) asshole that she is. These are really bad things, folks. Unforgivable things. This foulness isn't just the way politics works... well, it may be "just the way of politics" when they're in charge - but if so, it's because that is the way that they make politics. There is another way, and that other way is what Obama represents.
Hillary needs to stay in the race as a poster child for what we don't want the Democratic Party to be. Rather than continuing the attacks/rebuttals directed only at her, we need to be trying to tie the DLCers and "moderates" to her sinking ship. Obama will win. Both the nomination and in November. We, his grassroots support, will ensure that. But in addition to this, let's try to set the tone of the Democratic Party of the future.
We need to focus on getting better Democrats across the board. We need to focus on lopping the head off of the capitulation wing of the Democratic Party. We need to point out that the DLC is composed of losers. It is chaired by the only closely contested senate loser in the 2006 landslide election - Harold Ford Jr. The moderate Democrats represent a failed and failing strategy of trading ideals for votes, and thus for own short-term self-interests. It is time to take a stand against people not willing to take a stand for what is right.
The Democratic Party needs to be composed of leaders. We need our representatives willing to fight for progressive causes. Imagine if King's speech went like this: "I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed, but for now, hey, a little racism is fine if it will get me a cushy job." We don't need the blue dogs and corporate enablers in our party. We need to work on getting rid of the remaining Liebermans. We need to play up Clinton's moderate/capitulation credentials - her Iraq war vote, her Iran war vote, her first bankruptcy bill vote, her role in Free let-the-corporations-fuck-americans Trade, etc. Let's take down these ideas and the people who support these ideas with Clinton.
Right now, Hillary's sinking ship has created a huge down current. Rather than trying to stop the current, let's use it to sink some of the bad ideas held by Clinton along with Clinton herself.