Obama's moment
WHETHER BARACK Obama or Hillary Clinton claimed the Democratic nomination, the result was going to be historic: a testament not just to the strides individual African-Americans and women have made in public life, but to the ability of two highly skilled leaders to convert a nation's diversity into political strength. It was Obama, though, who racked up the numbers to prevail Tuesday night, after a strong-enough performance in Montana and South Dakota and a swell of support from superdelegates.
As he begins his campaign against Republican John McCain, Obama must deal with some tactical issues. Can he win over Clinton's voters while holding together his own coalition of upscale professionals, minorities, independents, and disaffected Republicans? And Obama, whom this page endorsed in the Democratic primaries, faces a more fundamental question: Can he turn his stirring message of change into a plan for leading a vast nation in uneasy times?
Speaking in St. Paul, Minn., Obama was gracious in victory, extolling Clinton as "a leader who inspires millions of Americans with her strength, her courage, and her commitment." In defeat, Clinton had the harder task - and left it unfinished. After applauding Obama's supporters "for all they have accomplished," she continued to say that she would be the stronger candidate.
Up to now, her refusal to give in to stiff odds has arguably benefited Democrats; the 50-state-plus primary and caucus campaign brought in new voters from coast to coast. Yet if Clinton wants her party to prevail in November, she should withdraw soon - and without trying to leverage her way onto the ticket. Obama deserves the latitude to choose his own running mate.
McCain, whom this page supported in the Republican primaries, is the most formidable candidate his party could have fielded. Speaking near New Orleans Tuesday night, McCain cast himself as a reformer on such matters as farm subsidies. Yet the Arizona senator has much to explain to the electorate, including his seemingly open-ended support for the Iraq war and his newfound desire to extend the fiscally disastrous Bush tax cuts, which he once opposed.
When the primary campaign began, Clinton was the prohibitive favorite for the Democratic nomination, and most Republicans had given McCain up for dead. The emergence of Obama and McCain as the nominees bespeaks a desire among voters to transcend what Obama called "petty bickering and point-scoring" and to feel moved by politics. Long lines outside political rallies. Huge turnout in primaries. Millions of new voters on the rolls. The general election battle is only beginning, but 2008 has already turned out to be an inspiring year.
