Barack Obama claims victory tonight, and appears to have it, despite the fact that Hillary Clinton won't concede defeat.
And make no mistake about it. Obama's victory is indeed remarkable. Partly this is because he will become the first African-American candidate to gain a major-party presidential nomination in American history. But it's also stunning because Obama was such an underdog in this race. Remember last fall? Most observers thought that Hillary Clinton was a shoo-in to win the nomination, that there was no question whatsoever that her victory was inevitable. Many believed the race would be over after February 5th; indeed, the Clinton campaign itself believed that, which overconfidence was one of the factors that proved to be its undoing.
Underdog candidates can indeed win. Campaigns aren't won on paper. This is why they actually have the elections. But I suspect Senator Clinton STILL cannot believe what has happened to her; hence her refusal, even now, to admit the obvious. I wouldn't mind being a fly on the wall at her staff meeting tomorrow; would you?
