All That’s Changed

Hillary Clinton’s speech was excellent — the words, delivery, the energy it brought to the convention. It should really help … her.

I know I am repeating the GOP talking points here, that Clinton’s endorsement of Barack Obama will do little to assuage her angry supporters and unite the party, but the Republicans are right. I won’t quote the Hillary supporters who left the convention hall even more frustrated that she isn’t the nominee or at least the vice presidential nominee. You have watched them all night and day on television or read their quotes in the newspaper.

What has changed? Little for Obama, who is now behind McCain in a poll taken DURING the convention! What has changed is now Clinton has endorsed Obama, asked her supporters to vote for him and mentioned his name more than a dozen times, and so therefore she cannot be accused in two months of helping him lose. That is all that has changed.

Other than that, she has finally found a good speechwriter. Kudos to Jim Kennedy, and she is ready to launch the I-Told-You-So-Campaign in just nine weeks. Make no mistake about it, Clinton did not use any personal references about why Obama is worthy of the presidency, why he would make a good leader, why she shouldn’t have said those things during the primary or why the Republicans shouldn’t have used her criticisms in their latest ads. She never said Obama could keep us safe or would meet the commander in chief threshold. We know, her supporters know, McCain knows, that Clinton doesn’t think he can win or that he would make a good president. Case closed.

In case any of you Democrats were hoping this wasn’t the case, please read The New York Times today, where aides describe this pointed goal of Hillary’s — to properly position herself. “Mrs. Clinton wanted to ensure that her star turn at the convention could never be portrayed as insufficiently enthusiastic, should Mr. Obama lose the election in part because swaths of her supporters ultimately did not vote for him … Mrs. Clinton is almost certain to run for president in 2012 if Mr. Obama fails this time, several Clinton advisers said Tuesday.”

Those advisers just couldn’t stop themselves from rubbing it in.

IS OBAMA HEADED FOR DEFEAT WITHOUT CLINTON’S VOTERS? Ask A.B. returns Friday. Write to me at askab@digital-staging.thehill.com. See you then.