Left-wing conspiracy

Trying to spin Barack Obama’s fundraising shocker without seeming peevish, Team Hillary hailed the total Democratic haul as proof of the “overwhelming desire for change.” That it is, but in defense of the whole truth, it must be said that the total is also proof of a desire for someone other than Hillary to get the nomination.

It’s a vast left-wing conspiracy. One that is growing and gaining on her.

Of the $65 million the three party front-runners collected in the past three months, Clinton got 40 percent. That’s a strong number – except that 60 percent went to Obama and John Edwards, her key rivals. She is still top dog, but her weaknesses are showing.

There have always been doubts about Clinton among party stalwarts. The left wing doubts her conviction. Centrists are afraid of her convictions. Many doubt whether she can be elected, with some polls showing nearly half the nation’s voters saying they don’t want her to be president. Party surveys invariably show her with a lead, but rarely a commanding one and almost never with a majority.

That longing for someone else gave life to the Obama phenomenon. It keeps Edwards in the race and fuels the hopes of the long shots like Biden, Dodd and Richardson.

None can match her in a crowded field, but they all dream of getting into a two-person race with her. They want to be the one anti-Hillary and gather all the doubters to thump her.

I don’t think it’s going to happen, absent a gaffe or a Big Event. Obama, for all his skills and youthful appeal, may not be able to beat her under any circumstances and certainly not as long as Edwards stays in the race. Although they have different bases in different states, Obama and Edwards share the far left, giving both a shot and neither a reason to quit. Gore won’t get in unless there is a big opening at the very top – a stumble by either Obama or Clinton. He knows he can’t win by being one of several rivals to her.

So despite how Obama rocked her boat, and despite all the doubts, Hillary remains on course to get the nomination. It’s going to be a grind and not as sure as it looked. And now there is less room for error, which means she better put the muzzle and the leash on Bubba.

But she can’t get too cautious, either. The answer to the Obama cash is for her to sharpen her game and speed up her metabolism. She often looks like she’s in a celebrity bubble, waving, doling out hugs and spewing platitudes like a visiting dignitary. There is no spontaneity, no raw energy for the quest. She mostly ducks serious interviews as though she doesn’t want to say anything controversial. One concerned supporter described the rationale of her campaign as “inevitability,” which isn’t exactly a turn-on to voters.

She’s playing not to lose, while Obama is playing to win. Sooner or later, she must convince him he can’t win. That won’t be easy.