It's the Pandering, Stupid

So many post-mortems, where to cease to begin? The silliest trope, one delivered by Cokie Roberts, the NYT, Salon's broadsheet, and, of course, the candidate herself, is that she lost thanks to "sexism." Bullshit. Find me one shred of evidence that sexism cost her a single delegate. Meanwhile, there is ample evidence that racism has cost Obama plenty, in PA, WV, and today, KY. Luckily, winners don't need to make excuses, even true ones. If anything, sexism was the only thing that kept Clinton in the race this long, since she was almost DOA in NH when Chris Matthews's shark jumping comments and a few well placed crocodile tears were enough to pull her back from the electoral abyss. But Hill can't help playing the victim card, as if the only thing that can explain her fall from "inevitability" is penile conspiracy.

Smarter commentators, including Publius and M.J. Rosenberg, have pointed out that, much like in classical tragedy where the fateful choice is made before the action really begins, Iraq was her undoing. If not for that vote, there would have been no rationale for a serious primary challenge to her coronation. Hard to disagree. But I'd add a second factor to this equation: pandering. Shameless, transparent, loathsome, relentless, and nauseatingly repetitive pandering. The Iraq vote was really just the first breadcrumb in a long trail. Her campaign kicked off with the cringe-inducing "conversation" video. And then. . . . Saber-rattling on Iran. NAFTA. 3 AM. Bosnian snipers. Bittergate. Guns and whiskey. Gas tax. Sucking up to Limbaugh, O'Reilly, Scaife, et al. What a repellent campaign. Who the hell is this person and why does she want to be the nominee of the Democratic Party?

What the Clintons failed to understand is that the anger in their party is not just with George Bush, the man, it is also with George Bush, the method. You don't cure garlic breath by eating onions. As of tonight, it is all over but the cryin', and this time the cryin' won't save her.