If Clinton goes on to win the nomination and loses the general election, she will likely be able to remain the NY senator, but her role will be greatly diminished. Obama would likely be well placed to run in 2012. Likewise, if Obama pulled a VP deal out now 'for the sake of party unity' (Clinton tops the ticket), then he would be well placed to run in 2012 if she loses or 2016 if she wins.

The real question is whichever one gets the nod, how do they get the other's constituency's (Old vs young, poor vs rich, black vs Hispanic, etc.). Especially when you consider that either is probably going to have to run to the middle pretty hard since McCain already has a seat there (though I note that the DNC is trying to portray McCain as a hard right conservative at the time that hard right conservatives are trying to portray him as a liberal which probably justifies calling him a moderate). They won't be able to pander much red meat for their base if they want to win the general election.

As to super delegates, I agree that they will likely have a strong lemming instinct to get in front of the parade. But there is still a lot of back room deal mongering that will go on. I think Clinton will have the upper hand here. She not only has more experience in this and a longer history with most of them, Clinton had shown he can help with making money after office. I still give Clinton the edge, though it is far from a lock.

What exactly have the Clinton's done that justifies this hyperbole? When Bush won (sort of) in 2000 did they call on army units to prevent his swearing in? Did they barricade the whitehouse and shoot at the "interloper"? Oh, I know- they went to Montana and rallied the militia movement to rise up in defiance of the government, right?

Huh. Nope.

After a fairly (sort of) successful presidency Bill retired to the speech giving circuit like virtually all ex-presidents. Hillary stood for election to the senate, winning twice, in NY.

My god, the horror! Do these people know no bounds? The unmitigated gall, the unbelievable avarice for power that would cause a well connected successful, and yes even popular, woman to run for president is stunning.

Here's the problem with the clinton haters- what do they have left to say? I mean what could they accuse Hillary of that would top the various sex and murder rumors of the 90s? I kind of feel sorry for them, in a way. Their hatred and lack of proportion has exceeed the capabilities of the english language to express.

Furthermore the decision to sit Michigan and Florida delegates will not be up to Clinton to decide.

Huh, I should have spent the 2 minutes researching this _before_ I posted. It turns out the decision of which delegates to seat is determined by a credential committee, the membership of which is determined by some formula involving a candidate's performance in state primaries and caucuses.

So it may be that Clinton will have some say, though presumably if Obama does better in pledged delegates, he'll have more sway in the credential committee, so if it turns out to be something that can change the outcome, Obama may be in a better position to steer the outcome than Clinton.

The Clintons won't blink to tear the Democratic party in two if there is even a chance they can steal the nomination.

The Clinton's don't have much of a say, the super-delegates can vote for whomever they want at the convention. Furthermore the decision to sit Michigan and Florida delegates will not be up to Clinton to decide.

She’s smart enough to avoid that scenario by ceding the contest to Obama if he has a majority of pledged delegates.

The nomination will have to be wrenched from the their death-grip on power for this to happen. The Clintons won't blink to tear the Democratic party in two if there is even a chance they can steal the nomination.

Don't forget that she is also the wife of the President who was so desperate to have a "legacy" as President that he sucked up to historians. Losing the biggest gimmee election the Democrats have ever had is not the "legacy" I think they want.

She’s smart enough to avoid that scenario by ceding the contest to Obama if he has a majority of pledged delegates.

Surely you jest. Have you forgotten that you're talking about Hillary Clinton, wife of the President Who Refused to Resign, enabler of the President Who Blamed Everyone Else For His Soiling of the Presidency, political twin of the originator of the Perpetual Campaign (whose sole guiding principle is Win at All Costs)?