If Hillary Quit Her Run for the White House

Hillary Clinton, candidate for the Democratic Party nomination for the November presidential election started campaigning too early and too fast. At first, it seemed like none of her opponents, particularly Barack Obama, could ever climb to meet her. Now, almost at the end of the race, the former First Lady is exhausted. Defeats pile on at the primaries and caucuses, her advisers resign, and super-delegates flee. Should she continue the race, in opposition to the stunning rise of Barack Obama, or simply throw in the towel?

The die seems cast, though the New York Senator and former US First Lady Hillary Clinton’s ambitions for the White House are not over. She launched her campaign very early, well before any of the other Donkey Party candidates announced themselves.

While some of the voters did not give her the chance to succeed, others saw her immediately as the first female president of the United States and gave her their votes in primaries and party caucuses. This explains her early, but ephemeral, successes.

Today, beyond the halfway point of the campaign, hopes to see Hillary Clinton as the nominee for the Democratic Party are becoming increasingly slim.

Figures released Friday by NBC on the progress of two contenders for the Democratic nomination, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, demonstrate the change in the race dynamics. According to these figures, Barack Obama, who was far behind the former first lady, especially in the number of super-delegates, has gained dramatically on Clinton. In fact the remaining gap, which had been in the hundreds, has been reduced to two dozen.

Thus, at last count, Hillary Clinton would get the support of 256 super delegates, against 225 for Barack Obama. Admittedly, this does not guarantee an Obama victory, as most of the super-delegates who have endorsed him did so after his repeated victories. And one wonders if he can repeat that feat in the remaining primaries.

The undecided super delegates, about 315 out of the total 795, are awaiting the results of the next elections before making a final decision. Hence the crucial issue of the next primaries, particularly Pennsylvania, which takes place on April 22.

However, recent rumors about the difficulties faced by the former First Lady are spreading. With more than 150 delegates recently backing Barack Obama, and with only a dozen states left, her chances of turning the tide are shrinking every day.

To succeed, she must win by outstanding margins in these last elections and convince the vast majority of the undecided super-delegates to vote for her, which seems unlikely, though mathematically possible.

Given her limited chances, should she give it up? For sure, she will wait to see the ballots in Pennsylvania. But advisors think her best shot is as Obama’s Vice President, rather than failing and becoming increasingly unpopular.