Hillary threatens cat-and-dog fight at Democratic Convention

As if her lies about braving gunfire in Bosnia, brokering peace in Northern Ireland, and battling against NAFTA were not enough to turn voters off, Hillary Clinton has demonstrated yet again why she cannot be trusted.

Recall that just weeks ago she vowed that (“either way”) the nomination would be settled before the Democratic Convention in August. Yet here’s what she said yesterday when Greta Van Susteren of FOX News asked her to explain why she thinks “this race is a long way from being over:”

You know, you can always go to the convention. That’s what credential fights are for… So that’s where we’re headed….

Never mind that everyone knows she stands less than a snowball’s chance in hell of overtaking Barack Obama in pledged delegates.

But it’s an indication of how ruthless the Clintons are, and of how desperate they’ve become, that they’re telling Democrats to “saddle up” because their fighting’s about to get even dirtier. This, at a time when most people who care about the Democratic Party are pleading for them to help reconcile the rift their campaign tactics have caused.

Nevertheless, here’s the bottom line on this nomination – for those of you who failed to grasp it from my previous articles on the untenable prospect of superdelegates (Democratic Party officials) nullifying the votes of pledge delegates at the convention:

Obama seems destined to go into the convention with more victories in state primaries and caucuses, more pledged delegates, and more popular votes. Therefore, if the Clintons strong arm superdelegates into giving Hillary the nomination under these circumstances, that would constitute an even greater travesty of democracy than George W. Bush using the Supreme Court to steal the 2000 election from Al Gore.

However, I can assure you that, unlike the Bushes, the Clintons will not get away with stealing this nomination to pad their political dynasty.

That said, I think this prospect (of a Clinton coup) is grossly exaggerated. Because when all is said and done, I have no doubt that the superdelegates will side with the pledged delegates and declare Obama the party’s nominee. Moreover, as I wrote in a column published yesterday:

There’ll be plenty of time after this nomination fight is settled for Democrats to kiss and make up, which they will do notwithstanding fatuous talk about them voting in droves for McCain in November.

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