Cain and Abel. Who Gets the Nod.

The Democratic party owes a great deal to Bill and Hillary Clinton. Bill has been the only popular Democratic leader in this country, since the ill fated Kennedy brothers. Hillary, while she may not have been the co president that she would have us believe, was more than a first lady. Together, they did more to resurrect the party than anyone else in modern times. While it's not a story that inspires everyone, Bill's rise to prominence, from humble and inauspicious beginnings, is a uniquely American, political success story, whether you like him or not.

They understand American politics. They understand their unique position, in American political history. It is sad, that following Hillary's unsuccessful bid for the Presidency in 2008, they have been unable to put aside their disappointment and work to unite the party before the general election. In doing so, they squander their political legacy and abdicate the party leadership that they have earned.

It is difficult to understand why they would do this. It certainly cannot be because they hope Barry will lose and Hillary can try again in 2012. Even they must realize the futility of that. Obama is the darling of the liberal and African American component of the party. If he is defeated, given the current situation and the incredible vulnerability of the McCain/Palin ticket, these two factions of the party, at least, will blame them and withhold their support. There can be no Democratic presidency without that support.

The Democratic coalition was destroyed in 1968, not by the deaths of the Kennedy brothers and not by Johnson's debacle in Vietnam. It was destroyed by the foisting of party stalwart Hubert Humphrey onto the ticket, ahead of the more liberal and popular Eugene McCarthy, at the open convention. It took a long time for the liberals to forgive the party, even though those responsible soon paid for it, with their political lives.

I do not know whether an Obama defeat would cause another generation long rift in the Democratic party or usher in a liberal reformation. If it happens, time will tell.