Hillary Clinton has all but confirmed what many political watchers have been suspecting for the better part of two months: Far from considering calls to leave the race for the good of the party, she fully intends to engage Barack Obama in an intense and bruising delegate battle at the national convention that promises to leave the eventual winner wounded going into the general.
From the FoxNews.com political wire:
"There is no such thing as a pledged delegate," Clinton said at a news conference in California, where she has been fundraising ... The former first lady said she was traveling to North Dakota to thank her supporters and delegates — and wooing Obama supporters was fair game.Observers knew this was coming; I told you about it in February. Democratic Party officials know how divisive it will be, and that's why Clinton has dealt with increasing calls for her departure from the race.
Pledged delegates are "misnomer. The whole point is for delegates, however they are chosen, to really ask themselves who would be the best president and who would be our best nominee against Senator McCain," Clinton said. "And I think that process goes all the way to the convention."
But she's breaking it to them, in the Hillary-gentle sort of way, that she's not going anywhere, and it may be the phones of pledged delegates that will now be ringing at 3 a.m.
