OBAMANOMENON in Indiana!

I was fairly apprehensive going into last night; didn't know quite what to expect and, a little hesitant to hope, even. I started texting family and friends in NC around 6 am: "Go Vote. Pass it On". Sure, he was expected to win North Carolina, but still, like I said, I didn't know quite what to expect.

Soon after the polls closed in Indiana, and for an uncomfortable while thereafter, the numbers were excruciating; he was closer to 20 points behind than not. Lake County's results were going to come in at 11:00, then 12:00, then someone said Domino's had been called. The ticker beneath the talking heads of "the best political team in television" read something like "Judge orders two precincts to delay closing." The best political team on television never mentioned that, and their colleagues over at MSNBC seemed clueless as well. Tom Brokaw groused to Chris Matthew, asking if anyone had said WHY the results were delayed, as though the wait was cutting into his steak and boilermaker time, dammit!

Turns out, Obama's team got out the vote AND had the presence of mind and quick action to engage a jurist, that acted in favor of democracy (is for a change too loudly silent here?) and kept the polling centers open. There. better. not. be. a whiff of voter disenfranchisement, ANYWHERE at ANYTIME during this primary or the general election.

As the night wore on, I was pumping my fist in the air. By 11:00, the gap had narrowed to 52% to 48% in favor of Clinton. With thousands more votes to count, I started to think, hope, that he would overtake her --ESPECIALLY when she declared victory while all those votes were still being counted AND the polls were staying open late. BUT! Obama had essentially conceded an hour or so earlier, during his fantastic North Carolina victory speech so, clearly, both campaigns have a better grasp on the numbers than I do.

Her speech has been called charming. Maybe it was, it certainly wasn't inspiring. The bit about Myanmar, and the appeal to let aid workers in, I thought, was a bit odd, but hey, maybe her speechwriter thought authenticity would play well. Her speech at first sounded like a goodbye, then she committed to go on, but her heart didn't seem in it. She seemed more deflated than the ass-kicking, name-taking persona she's been projecting from the stump in recent weeks.

Why was Bill's face so pink?

Hillary also seemed to be making a direct, barely subtle appeal to Republicans, it seemed to me, nodding at Operation Chaos. She said more than once she wanted to be President for "all of you".

She seemed to be saying "Forget the rules, forget the math, forget party unity, I WILL BE PRESIDENT, Thank you very much!".
What is she gonna do, once Barack's the actual, rather than presumptive nominee-- pull a Lieberman, do a Nader, and siphon off votes during the General election ruining the democrats chances at the Presidency for once and for all?

Can her (their) ego(s) be that large?
(Can paranoia really destroy ya?)