Clinton Begins to Soften Campaign Rhetoric,

Anyone who has been around me the past few weeks can attest to the vibrancy of my disgust with Hillary Clinton. Her attacks on Senator Obama have been inexcusably harsh given that they are supposed to be on the same side. Her sense of entitlement and her complete divorcal from reality are maddening.

But now, as she begins to soften her rhetoric, saying “if” instead of “when” in her references to taking the White House this November, my disgust has softened as well and found — around the edges — a tinge of empathy.

This is a person who has done what she thought was necessary to take the highest office in the land. She has undoubtedly worked hard her whole life making political deals and aligning herself with all the interests she thought mattered. I suspect that she stayed married to a man who repeatedly humiliated her in public for primarily political reasons. She played the game, and she played to win.

Senator Clinton failed to realize that — to quote John Lennon — life is what happens when you are making other plans. The tides of American civic culture have shifted on her abruptly and have put her on the wrong side of history. This must be a profoundly painful truth for someone who has always believed that you can get what you want if you work hard enough and play by the rules.

And so, as Senator Clinton begins the process of removing herself from this race, let us try to be compassionate to her and to those who thought she would be the best person for the job. We will need their help and their voices to win in November.