Just because you can...

Doesn't mean that you should.

Do I think Barack Obama's campaign would be better off if Hillary Clinton withdrew from the nominating campaign? Of course, I do, within limits.

Obama would have the focus moved from the minute differentiation between his campaign and hers.  The name calling and mud slinging, between Democrats, would cease.

The down side?  What the hell do you think has brought those unbe-frackin-lievable numbers of new and young voters to the primaries and caucuses?

Turnout, amoung democrats, in every state that I've caught the results of, has been record breaking.  

In addition to that, Republican numbers have been depressed from 2004 and 2000 levels, even taking into account the rabid Limbaugh followers who have committed unethical voting activities, by voting democratic, for Hillary Clinton, in the primary only to re-register as a Republican and vote John McCain in the fall - all in support of a supposed strategy designed to extend the democratic primary season and weaken the eventual democratic nominee.

What caused this upsurge in voting citizens this season?  

How about this.  I've voted in every presidential race since I turned 18, starting with John Anderson, in 1980.  This year, as I cast my caucus vote for Barack Obama, was the first time my primary vote was cast before the nominee was announced in some previous state.  The first time Ever.

For most of those who have cast a ballot, in either a primary election or in a precinct caucus, since 1980, like me, their votes have never counted.  Ever.  We dutifully went to the polls or the caucus (or in some cases, both) every four years, knowing full-well, that the only "retail" politics that would happen, would take place in Iowa, New Hampshire and about three more states.  

Here in Washington and Oregon, no matter the increasing relevance of the diversity of our populations both in age, race and nationality, the national presidential primary season was only noticable by the amount of political news mentioned by the six o'clock network TV news.  It wasn't much, let me tell you.

Howard Dean made a difference here.  He came to Oregon and Washington. For the first time I got a chance to see and hear a Presidential Candidate up-close and live.  It was a heady experience, and I believe, led me to become more involved in local politics.  It definitely moved me from the Independent column to the Democratic column, permanently.

This year, millions of democratic voters got that same experience for the first time.  This, I believe, is the news story that is being ignored.  All of our votes are actually being counted - and counting.

It has changed the face of democratic politics.  Following Howard Dean's DNC 50-state strategy has opened up states for democratic candidates that have been republican territory, pure and simple, for decades. Recent special elections in three states have proved it, all going democratic.

How much does the Hillary Clinton campign damage either Barack Obama's image or the Democratic brand name, by continuing?  

How  much investment into the political process has the long, all-encompassing democratic nominating season brought on board from millions of new democratic voters across the country?  

Which is more important in both the short and the long term?

Just because Hillary Clinton could drop out now, doesn't mean that she should.  

I say, let her continue, let the people vote, and when it becomes as apparent to Hillary Clinton that the Democratic Nominee will be Barack Obama, as it has become apparent to me, then and only then, should she step down.

The only people who are damaged by the continuing attention of the national media on the two democratic candidates for president, are John McCain and his republican team.

By the by, I wish Senator Clinton all the best on her continuing presence in the U.S. Senate, where her votes will surely be needed to pass the legislation that comes before the Congress in 2009 - new Healthcare for All, withdrawl from the Iraq debacle, rescue of the middle-class hit by the popping of the real estate bubble (in addition to Wall Street who got their aid from President Bush and the republicans), and Immigration reform.

Those will be tough battles, but I believe that an America united under a President Obama, voted for by significant numbers of former republicans and independents in November of 2008, will have a Congress both able and willing to do what is needed, and what is right.