Beaten at Their Own Game

Now the news is that Bill Clinton wants his wife to be vice president. And Time magazine today included this fascinating nugget about Hillary’s possible convention plans: “Several party officials believe she is likely to insist that her name be placed in nomination on the first ballot, opening up all the divisions once again.”

Hillary’s frustration, and perhaps even outrage, is understandable. She has won the big states, the swing states, the contests closed to Democrats only, and perhaps the popular vote as well. The math simply isn’t fair, but the game is over.

The question becomes: Why didn’t the Clinton machine prepare for the rules of this game, strange as they may be? Barack Obama learned the rules and mastered the map, and Clinton easily could have done the same — as I described in my column this week.

With their money, their allies, and their influence, the Clintons should have known how to run a presidential campaign. They let a juggernaut slip away, and let a novice beat them at their game.

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WHAT SHOULD HILLARY ASK OF OBAMA NOW AND WHAT DOES SHE DESERVE? Ask A.B. returns Tuesday, May 27 — Please join my weekly video Q & A by sending your questions and comments to askab@digital-staging.thehill.com. Thank you.