19 Down, 1 To Go???

Last night was the 19th debate between the Democratic hopefuls. The novelty of watching the first prominent black and female candidates debate for the chance to be the nominee of any political party has worn off. The majority of the debate was spent reaffirming each other's positions and when they disagreed the differences were so minuscule that it was difficult to stay engaged (the segment of health care was unbearable). Two moments stood out, Senator Clinton's "change you can Xerox" line fell flat and drew the ire of the crowd. Besides the fact that the line was utterly stupid, it followed Senator Obama's best answer of the night where he responded to the silly plagarism accusations against him. The second prominent moment was the end. Senator Clinton delivered an eloquent response to a question about challenges in life that made her seem almost human. There was a twinge of conciliation when she said, "You know, no matter what happens in this contest – and I am honored to be here with Barack Obama...Whatever happens, we’re going to be fine." Her hopes hinge on results in Texas and Ohio on March 4. While she will probably win the latter, the former is in play. Not only does she need to win these states, she needs to win them by a sizable margin, which is not going to happen. It seems premature to write the Clintonistas off, but with 10 losses in a row and dwindling poll numbers in both Ohio and Texas, it seems that end might be near. With that being said, hopefully Tuesday night's deabte in Ohio will be the last of this primary season. Hope is alive...