Wishful thinking

I'm one of those folks whom Keith Olbermann has characterized as voting for a tin can with a D after it come crunch time. That said, I've pretty much gotten behind Barak for both practical and ideological reasons.
As a charter member of the baby boom generation (July, '46), my political passion all but died off when Bobby Kennedy was killed, and it has yet to return. But while Barak's no Bobby, and I expect no one ever will be, he's got something that's connecting with the kids, and that's enough for me.
And for this beat-down old progressive, it's pretty obvious that Hillary has pretty much bottomed out and it's time to move on.
So as a public service, Bughouse Square offers up to the Clinton campaign my idea of a neat concession speech, to be delivered as soon after the Pennsylvania primary as possible:

Y’know, politics isn’t pretty. It’s not a game for anyone with a thin skin, and I think both Senator Obama and I have shown the nation just how tough a couple of capable and dedicated Democrats can be when the national stakes are so high and both players are all-in.
Well, we took this play right down to the river card, and it turned for my opponent, so by all that’s fair in love, war, and especially politics, it’s time for us to leave the game and help stake Senator Obama at the final table against John McCain.

Now I’d be less than honest if I said I was thrilled with the result. I know in my heart that I would have been a good president, and that I truly feel I was the best-qualified candidate in the field. Heck if I didn’t feel that way I had no business in the campaign in the first place.

But now it’s time to move on to the next phase in the campaign, the one where Democrats of all stripes rally ‘round Barak Obama and the Democratic message and do what we have to do, need to do, and simply must do to take our country back.

Scott Fitzgerald once wrote that there were no second acts in American lives. Well, Fitzgerald obviously never took part in a high-stakes presidential campaign, where every day is Groundhog Day until all the parts finally fall into place. And this time around, the resolution came in favor of my opponent.

So I say to all my friends and supporters, especially the ones who’ve been with us from the jump, that we gave it our best shot but we fell a little short. And I know that many of you are upset, and that you might even be feeling, dare I say, bitter about the result. But I urge you to look past your anger and frustration and take a long look at the big picture.

Do you really want the next four years to be little more than Bush Light?
Do you really want an economic policy based on tax breaks for the wealthy and sweetheart deals for the corporate elite?
Do you really want us to remain mired in Iraq while our national stature takes hit after hit around the world?
Do you really want a president who thinks a new GI Bill is too good for our men and women in uniform?

I didn’t think so. And making sure that doesn’t happen is now Priority One for every Democrat and Independent who understands that the time for change is now, and that a united Democratic party can truly deliver the goods come November.

So once again I thank you for your support and for all you’ve done for me in this campaign. But let me tell you that losing the way we did in 2000 and 2004 leaves a bad taste in my mouth, and even though it won’t be me at the top of the ticket this time around I say let’s get to it and finally put the brakes on this runaway Republican train once and for all!