Was it the tear?

CONCORD, N.H. -- One fascinating, if ultimately unknowable, question about last night’s surprise turnaround for Hillary Clinton is whether her moving display of emotion on the eve of the primary was pivotal.

Well, California Senator Dianne Feinstein thinks so.

Exhausted on Monday, facing what looked to be a certain defeat in New Hampshire, Clinton’s eyes grew moist and she choked up talking about how personal this race is to her.

On a conference call with reporters this morning, Feinstein – who is backing Clinton -- waxed about The Moment.

“I think it showed humanity and real warmth,” she said. “I mean, this was Hillary at her core…I think that feeling coming out is really, really important because we all identify with it, and we understand the frustrations of these campaigns and all the knocks that you get.”

“And she does have a steel spine, no one should ever doubt that,” Feinsein continued. “This is one strong woman. But I think for people to be able to see the basic Hillary with the basic feelings was very important.”