Senator Hillary Clinton’s political career did not end on the night of Tuesday, May 6, 2008. She has a political future, and a brighter one than well over 99.9% of those who hold public office in the United States.  Her plans have been thrown awry and she now has to improvise.  But surely she will for as I said, she has a political future.

And so the endgame begins.

Fellow supporters of the junior Senator from Illinois, the nomination of Barack Obama as the Democratic candidate for President is now very likely.  Barring a scandal/embarrassment of major proportions, or an extraordinary series of missteps and gaffs by the Obama campaign, his nomination will likely be secured in March.

There is no reason to let up.  I contributed another $100 to the Obama campaign this morning.  Much work remains to be done in the next two weeks.  But there is a future beyond that date.  Indeed, a lesson to be learned from the Clinton campaign is, while not letting the future overshadow the present, is to also not lose sight of the future.  Had she and her advisors been able to imagine needing those small states, those caucus states, those red states, those states voting past Super Tuesday, she might be the frontrunner right now.  Such imagination failed them, and with dire consequences for her campaign.  And after March 4th, when in all probability Barack Obama is then the consensus presumptive nominee, then what of that looming future?  Then the campaign changes.  And we need to now consider that future.