Lamentations of the woman who would be queen

Six months ago, when the Democratic primariy resembled a coronation march and all eyes were on the Clintons, she looked unstoppable. A giant among people you hadn't heard of and people who you just couldn't see in power. There were some people who had "star power" but none at that time shone above the wife of Bill Clinton.

If time could have just held still, all would have been well, but time didn't hold still. Suddenly a young senator was making people excited about politics and bringing people to his cause. He may have misspoke once or twice but if nothing else he was exciting. Maybe it was because he was not versed in the ins and outs of Beltway Politics. In someways like a real life version of Mister Smith Goes to Washington. But at that point, Sen. Clinton still saw the nomination, as hers.

Then a funny thing happened in Iowa. Funny in the sense of irony but in Camp Clinton the unthinkable had occured: This upstart Senator with big ears started gaining popularity. Her popularity. People began moving to his side. Suddenly, he was the party's favorite. The Rock Star, as it were. The nomination began slipping away.

No matter what she tried to do (having subordinates sling mud, sending out her husband and daughter, crying on camera and on cue) she has yet to stem the tide. The most damning proof of this is S. Carolina where Bill Clinton used every bit of his power to attempt to derail the Obama campaign and was widely perceived as one of the reasons she lost that state.

Now the only strategy left is to take Ohio and Texas overwhelmingly, something she has not been able to do outside of Arkansas. She also has to do this when her perceived power base of women and people without college educations who make under $50,000 are also starting to shift to Obama. Increasingly her message is becoming more shrill, her attacks more desperate. Going 0 for 10 will do that.

Can she pull off the sizeable upset? Outside of a real catastrophic gaffe from the Obama campaign, it is doubtful that she will. If she could have just frozen time six months ago. When the democratic crown was so close. So close yet so far. Thus laments Sen. Clinton, the woman who would be queen.