HILLARY’S HEARTBREAK

If the race to the Democratic presidential nomination has been like the Boston Marathon, Hillary Clinton might rightly claim that Heartbreak Hill was named for her. The long, uphill race she ran from late February through early May had her always within striking distance of Barack Obama, but never able to muster the energy for a sprint to take the lead. Now, as she and Sen. Obama trot toward the tape, Sen. Clinton understandably wants the satisfaction of crossing the finish line.

If Sen. Obama emerges as the nominee, as seems all but certain, he would be wise to forgive – if not gain strength from – her attacks. As Sen. Clinton’s strong victory in West Virginia’s Tuesday primary, not to mention her wins in Pennsylvania and Ohio, shows, she is better at connecting with working-class whites than Sen. Obama. Donning a flag lapel pin, as Sen. Obama did recently, and talking more about God is not enough to win over voters who worry that the Illinois Democrat does not share their values or perspective.

Sen. Clinton’s biggest strategic error may have been to begin acting like the presumptive nominee last fall. Polling numbers suggested the race was hers to lose, but large numbers of Democratic voters were taken in by Sen. Obama’s message of hope and change.

The news media were guilty of not looking too deeply into Sen. Obama’s background and too quickly assigning Sen. Clinton to the role of a dogged and pesky second-place runner. It was a compelling story – the Cinderella candidate, whose optimism managed to prevail against the odds and defeat the Clinton machine.

But now, short of a photo emerging of Sen. Obama and Osama bin Laden embracing, the nomination is his. Maine’s 1st District Rep. Tom Allen laid another straw on Sen. Clinton’s bowing back this week by announcing that he, as a superdelegate, would support Sen. Obama. This was no doubt a difficult personal decision, given Rep. Allen’s friendship with the former president that dates back to their days as Rhodes scholars in Oxford, England, in the 1960s.

Rep. Allen cited the enthusiasm with which Sen. Obama was embraced in Maine in calling for a “graceful end” to the race.

“I’ve watched independents and Democrats and even a lot of Republicans in Maine enthusiastically support Obama because they believe he can and will put America back on track. I believe the process of reconciliation, the process of unifying this party, should begin sooner than later. It should begin in May, and not in June,” he said.

Though an Obama-Clinton ticket would have many Democrats drooling, it is not likely for many reasons (how much power would Bill Clinton wield?). But to avoid alienating Sen. Clinton’s supporters, Sen. Obama could offer her a substantive role in his administration, perhaps as secretary of state, before the election. Perhaps the 3 a.m. phone call to the White House, featured in a Clinton TV ad, could be automatically forwarded to Sen. Clinton in that role.