SWIMMING AGAINST THE TIDE

There is a tide in the affairs of men
which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune.
Ommited, all the voyage of their life
is bound in the shallows and in miseries.
We must take the current when it serves
or lose our ventures.
Wm. Shakespeare


The time has come for Hillary Clinton to quit the race. After running an extraordinary campaign and coming within a single breath of the nomination, two things are finally clear: Absent the sudden revelation of some heinous crime on the part of Sen. Obama – an unlikely event at this point – she cannot win. Sen. Obama will be the Democratic nominee, and pressing on past June 3rd can only do damage to Obama in the general election, to the Democratic Party and to the nation.

Her withdrawal is by no means be a failure. Her campaign – the money she raised, the votes she got - has proven that a woman can be elected president. This is simply not the moment. An irreversible tide is running with Obama and she would do well to swim with it. Such an act will be seen as gracious, savvy, and selfless, and will only add to her political prestige. It is also the right thing to do.