Clinton's 'Classy' Exit Strategy

On CBS's "Early Show" Tuesday, co-host Harry Smith asked former Clinton Administration Press Secretary Dee Dee Myers a key question: "Why is Hillary Clinton still running?" Her response? "I don't think there's any question that she's going to get out. The only remaining question is when and how. And I think she'll do it in a way that's classy and helps the party." Although some Barack Obama supporters would disagree--in the heat of battle it's hard to give an opponent the benefit of the doubt--I think Myers is absolutely correct. Two signs from the past 24 hours:

1. When George W. Bush "attacked" Obama in the Knesset yesterday, Clinton rushed to his defense. "President Bush's comparison of any Democrat to Nazi appeasers is both offensive and outrageous on the face of it, especially in light of his failures in foreign policy," she told reporters in Rapid City, S.D. "There is a very clear difference between Democrats and Republicans on foreign policy and that difference will be evident once we take back the White House." Clinton's intervention was remarkable not because of what she said but because of what she didn't say. At the July 23, 2007 YouTube debate in South Carolina, a questioner asked Obama whether he would be "willing to meet--without precondition--in the first year of his presidency with the leaders of Iran, Syria, Venezuela, Cuba and North Korea." "I would," he responded. Clinton immediately disagreed--""I thought that was irresponsible and frankly naive," she told Iowa's Quad-City Times--and went on to spend much of the remainder of the year pummeling Obama on this particular point. Yesterday, McCain used nearly the same language as Clinton--"naivete and inexperience and lack of judgment"--to characterize Obama's stance. But Clinton made no effort to reinforce her long-running contrast with Obama. That she passed up a priceless opportunity to make headlines at a point when the press is largely ignoring her--and chose instead to boost her rival's standing, even though she disagrees with him on the details--shows how little interest the New York senator has in battling Obama at this stage of the game. She's letting go, and allowing--even encouraging--the general election to begin. 

2. In a series of three news ads launched today on Kentucky and Oregon TV, Clinton vows to stand up for the middle class...

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promises to close corporate tax loopholes...

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and dismisses the punditocracy's calls for withdrawal to focus on her opposition to Bush's energy bill, which "removed local control over the siting of liquefied natural gas terminals on Oregon’s coast":

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But she doesn't mention Obama's name once, let alone draw a single contrast. In the twilight of her campaign, then, Clinton's message is "here's what I can do" rather than "here's what my opponent can't." With that, she has every right to stay in the race through the final primaries on June 3--and may even help Obama by doing so. Barring a drastic change of course, I'd even say she's being pretty classy.