Today's Politics

The news of Ted Kennedy's brain tumor put a pall on much of the election returns tonight, and both Obama and Hillary each gave him a shout out. There's not much to say about the situation, but I sure wouldn't mind if some of the commentators, particularly points out that he's a fighter, so let's give him some room to fight, shall we?

As expected, Hillary won decisively in Kentucky, and also as many expected, she took the opportunity to point out how she can win. Is there really any reason to point out that, no--she can't? She's claiming that she's received more primary votes than any other Democrat in history, although she's ignoring for the moment Barack Obama, who's got more than she does. Although she claims that she wants every vote cast and counted, her assertion that she's got the most votes only work if you don't count some of the ones that went for Obama (you don't have to trust me--Josh Marshall has some details.

In the meantime, of course, Obama has captured more than half of the total pledged delegates. He's in a position to be magnanimous, so he only made the claim that the nomination is "within reach," if having his hands around it can be considered "within reach." To her credit, Hillary was talking much more about lining up behind the Democratic nominee. As long as she's not being divisive, I see no reason why she can't let it play out another couple of weeks. Just a couple of weeks ago, I said that Hillary is in a position to have a career like Teddy Kennedy's, leading Senate Democrats into the 21st century, and it's no less true today than it was then. Now, more than ever, she needs to start demonstrating that leadership. Over the summer and into the fall, as she moves to a supporting role for the Democratic presidential ticket, she'll have the chance to show us what she's really made of.