It’s over! It’s finally over!

Barack Obama (D-IL) and Hillary Clinton (D-NY) split the last two primaries between them – he won MT 56 percent to 41 percent, she won SD 55 percent to 45 percent. Exit polling shows that in both states, voting blocs – white working class, older women, college educated - aligned themselves behind the candidates they had previously favored – yada, yada, yada. But it is troubling nonetheless that even at this juncture – knowing full well that Obama would claim the nomination before the day was done – SD voters still gave Hillary a respectable 10-point margin of victory. Clearly, her supporters are signaling Hillary to keep pressing her case until the party's convention in Denver. They haven’t given up on her, and they don’t want her to give up.

Ironically, it wasn’t the primary voters who decided which of the two candidates would get the “magic number” of delegates needed to clinch the nomination, it was party insiders:

[W]ith the help of superdelegates who declared their allegiance to Obama throughout the day, he easily crossed the threshold of 2,118 delegates needed to secure the nomination around the time polls had closed in Montana and South Dakota, closing off the last slender hope Clinton had to take away the nomination.   

Obama and McCain wasted no time squaring off, and laying out the lines of attack they plan to use against each other. Obama spoke at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, MN, where the Republican convention will be held in September. McCain spoke in the New Orleans suburb of Kenner, LA, and was introduced by the state’s Republican governor Bobby Jindal, who is rumored to be on McCain’s veep list. (For his part, Jindal playfully “teased the crowd” about his Memorial Day visit to Sedona, AZ, for a barbecue with the McCains, reports The Times-Picayune: “I can tell you that secret now. John is a great cook.”)

The presumptive Dem nominee’s speech was vintage Obama (video link) – he used the word “change” 13 times, by The Stiletto’s rough count (“It’s not change when John McCain …”) – but the speech was beautifully crafted and well delivered, as always:

Tonight, after 54 hard-fought contests, our primary season has finally come to an end.

Sixteen months have passed since we first stood together on the steps of the Old State Capitol in Springfield, Illinois. Thousands of miles have been traveled. Millions of voices have been heard. And because of what you said—because you decided that change must come to Washington; because you believed that this year must be different than all the rest; because you chose to listen not to your doubts or your fears but to your greatest hopes and highest aspirations, tonight we mark the end of one historic journey with the beginning of another - a journey that will bring a new and better day to America. Tonight, I can stand before you and say that I will be the Democratic nominee for president of the United States. …

The journey will be difficult. The road will be long. I face this challenge with profound humility, and knowledge of my own limitations. But I also face it with limitless faith in the capacity of the American people. Because if we are willing to work for it, and fight for it, and believe in it, then I am absolutely certain that generations from now, we will be able to look back and tell our children that this was the moment when we began to provide care for the sick and good jobs to the jobless; this was the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal; this was the moment when we ended a war and secured our nation and restored our image as the last, best hope on earth. This was the moment—this was the time—when we came together to remake this great nation so that it may always reflect our very best selves and our highest ideals.

Obama was careful to give props to Hillary as a first step towards assuaging her supporters’ rage and defiance:

Senator Hillary Clinton has made history in this campaign not just because she's a woman who has done what no woman has done before, but because she's a leader who inspires millions of Americans with her strength, her courage, and her commitment to the causes that brought us here tonight. …

Our party and our country are better off because of her, and I am a better candidate for having had the honor to compete with Hillary Rodham Clinton.

And for the first time that The Stiletto can recall, Obama made sure to thank his white grandmother in Hawaii who “made me the man I am” – no doubt a reminder to white voters that he is half white, now that he needs to win the white working class votes Hillary was getting. (BTW, this bit was off-the cuff and does not appear in the prepared remarks his campaign released.)

The only stumble in the speech was this curious complaint about his general election opponent John McCain (R-AZ):

In just a few short months, the Republican Party will arrive in St. Paul … to nominate John McCain, a man who has served this country heroically. I honor that service, and I respect his many accomplishments, even if he chooses to deny mine. [Um, what exactly would those accomplishments be – other than hiring a crackerjack campaign team that outmaneuvered Hillary for the nomination?]

And he warned McCain not to bring up certain “distractions”

[Y]ou don't deserve is another election that's governed by fear, and innuendo, and division. What you won't hear from this campaign or this party is the kind of politics that uses religion as a wedge, and patriotism as a bludgeon - that sees our opponents not as competitors to challenge, but enemies to demonize.

The presumptive Republican nominee was not about to let Obama have the spotlight all to himself, not even on this historic night, so he gave an even longer speech (video link) and used the word “change” at least 17 times, by The Stiletto’s count. But while Obama’s speech was all sizzle, McCain’s was all red meat.

McCain, who wants to encourage Hillary’s women supporters to cross party lines in November - even if they are voting against Obama rather than for him – paid her homage:

Sen. Clinton has earned great respect for her tenacity and courage.

The media often overlooked how compassionately she spoke to the concerns and dreams of millions of Americans, and she deserves a lot more appreciation than she sometimes received.

As the father of three daughters, I owe her a debt for inspiring millions of women to believe there is no opportunity in this great country beyond their reach. I am proud to call her my friend.

Then he got down to brass tacks (note how he subtly picks up Clinton’s argument that Obama did not win the popular vote):

Pundits and party elders have declared that Sen. Obama will be my opponent. He will be a formidable one. … [Emphasis, The Stiletto.]

This is, indeed, a "change" election. No matter who wins this election, the direction of this country is going to change dramatically.

But the choice is between the right change and the wrong change, between going forward and going backward. …

McCain also burnished his conservative, small government credentials, while also letting voters know that he is not ignorant of, or indifferent to, the economic pressures they face:

Americans have been experiencing a lot of change in their lives … job loss, failing schools, prohibitively expensive health care, pensions at risk, entitlement programs approaching bankruptcy, rising gas and food prices, to name a few.

But your government often acts as if it is completely unaware of the changes and hardships in your lives. And when government does take notice, often it only makes matters worse. …

The wrong change looks not to the future but to the past for solutions that have failed us before and will surely fail us again. I have a few years on my opponent, so I am surprised that a young man has bought in to so many failed ideas. …

In just a few years in office, Sen. Obama has accumulated the most liberal voting record in the Senate. But the old, tired, big government policies he seeks to dust off and call new won't work in a world that has changed dramatically since they were last tried and failed. That's not change we can believe in.

And McCain signaled that Obama is not going to unilaterally determine the rules of engagement:

You will hear from my opponent's campaign in every speech, every interview, every press release that I'm running for President Bush's third term. You will hear every policy of the president described as the Bush-McCain policy. …

[H]e tries to drum it into your minds … But the American people didn't get to know me yesterday, as they are just getting to know Sen. Obama [emphasis, The Stiletto].

They know I have a long record of bipartisan problem-solving. They've seen me put our country before any president, before any party, before any special interest, before my own interests. …

Both Sen. Obama and I promise we will end Washington's stagnant, unproductive partisanship. But one of us has a record of working to do that, and one of us doesn't.

Americans have seen me put aside partisan and personal interests to move this country forward. They haven't seen Sen. Obama do the same.

For all his fine words and all his promise, he has never taken the hard but right course of risking his own interests for yours, of standing against the partisan rancor on his side to stand up for our country. He is an impressive man who makes a great first impression.

But he hasn't been willing to make the tough calls, to challenge his party, to risk criticism from his supporters to bring real change to Washington. I have.

Finally, McCain defined the differences between Bush and himself:

We've disagreed over the conduct of the war in Iraq and the treatment of detainees, over out-of-control government spending and budget gimmicks, over energy policy and climate change, over defense spending that favored defense contractors over the public good. …

I called for the change in strategy that is now, at last, succeeding where the previous strategy had failed miserably.

I was criticized for doing so by Republicans. I was criticized by Democrats. I was criticized by the press. But I don't answer to them. I answer to you.

Remember that scene in “A Bronx Tale” (video link) when the middle-aged Mafiosi beat the living daylights out of a bunch of young biker toughs who had invaded Sonny’s Bar? That’s what a McCain-Obama debate is going to look like.

Who You Gonna Call? Ghostwriters!

Three well-known MSM political commentators have recently turned their hands to “ghostwriting”:

† The Washington Post’s Ruth Marcus pens presidential pooch Barney’s defense of his rabidly anti-Bush tell-all:

“Being First Dog - it looks glamorous, but, really, it's a dog's life. No digging up the South Lawn. No licking yourself in public. Keep the press away from the twins, sure, but exploit the dog. Up the helicopter steps, down the helicopter steps.

“I was supposed to be the ultimate loyalist, man's best friend. It's not that I'm bitter about being elbowed aside by Miss Beazley in that shake-up a few years back. If they could ditch Andy Card after all the poop he scooped for them - well, none of us is safe. …

“Some people will read this book and think I'm just in it for the kibble …  but I believe there is a larger purpose.

“So let them declare a War on Terrier. Like they say back in Texas: That dog won't hunt.”

Yeah, well, Dick Cheney is probably having a special dog house built at Gitmo just for you.

† The Boston Globe’s Ellen Goodman, whips up a speech addressing women’s concerns in this election for Barack Obama:

"Tonight, I want to talk directly with the women of America.

"First, let me repeat what I said in Iowa about my deep respect for Senator Clinton. She has indeed 'shattered myths and broken barriers and changed the America in which my daughters and yours will come of age.' …

"So I want to thank the millions of women who voted for me without ever believing they were betraying the dream of full opportunity for women. But I also want to recognize those millions of women who voted for Hillary Clinton - women who invested their passionate hope to break the glass ceiling, to complete a symbolic journey to equality. …

"I will promise that in an Obama administration, helping to bail out families will be more important than bailing out Bear Stearns. Child care will be not be an afterthought, but as basic as school. Family medical leave will be, at long last, expanded to every worker. …

"There's a long way between now and November, and I need your help. You want a president who hears you and shares your hopes. I will be that president. I will be your president.”

You know how you can tell this speech is written by a woman? At the end, he thanks the women for listening.

† The Wall Street Journal’s Dan Henninger crafts Hillary Clinton’s concession speech (complete with stage directions!):

Thank you, thank you very much. (Pause). Thank you! Yes. Oh, yes! Thank you all so much!

Let me just begin by congratulating Sen. Obama (pause for screams of "No!") on obtaining the presidential nomination of the Democratic Party. …

This has been the most gratifying experience of my life. Together, we sent a message into this political system that will not be forgotten. (Pause for cheers.) That's right. You will not be forgotten. Your hopes, your needs, your dreams. [Shout this line]: They know about them now, don't they? (Pause for cheers.) …

We came up a little short. (Pause for booing.) But boy, we came close. …

I'm proud to be the first woman to almost win a presidential nomination. I think women belong in the Democratic Party. Don't you?

Some in the media said our primary victories were divisive. Really? We remember when these voters were called Reagan Democrats and voted Republican. I guess now they'd have to be called Hillary Democrats! My hope this fall is that they'll be Obama Democrats.

Some will ask if I think Sen. Obama can win. It is my honest intention to attend the inauguration of President Barack Obama in January 2009 (pause for scattered boos). He's going to make us proud this November. It will also forever be my intention to stand and fight for the future of the Democratic Party and the people of America. Your hopes. Your needs. Your dreams. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

(Sound system brings up "Here's to the Next Time" by Elton John.)

Although this hews closely to standard boilerplate (second item), The Stiletto could more easily picture Barney saying that boldfaced bit. As a feminist, The Stiletto wanted Hillary to take the “I am woman, hear me roar” tack: 

“As daughters, wives, and mothers women are nurturing and selfless. Carrying these traits into the professional world, women are expected to mentor younger and less experienced men to become the boss, and to be altruistic enough to sacrifice their own dreams and ambitions for ‘the good of the team.’ Well, NOT THIS TIME!

“Having come so very close to breaking the ultimate glass ceiling, I will not take a back seat to a man, even if he is African American. Our numbers are too big to ignore: Fifty-six percent of the women in this country are Democrats; there are more than 112.8 million women of voting age in the U.S.; and 65 percent of women voted in the 2004 election. Superdelegates: Do. The. Math.”

According to conflicting press reports earlier in the day, Hillary either was or was not going to concede the nomination to Obama, and had volunteered herself to be his helpmeet - once more the woman behind the man - so The Stiletto wasn’t holding out much hope for this outcome.

Hillary’s speech (video link) in NYC last night was following Henninger’s script more or less, when without warning she veered off into FTS territory and told her supporters: “I will be making no decisions tonight” - the crowd went wild – “in the coming days, I'll be consulting with supporters and party leaders to determine how to move forward with the best interests of our party and our country guiding my way.” (No doubt, the Obama team’s collective reaction was, “WTF?” and the champagne corks stopped popping, if only for a few minutes as they contemplated what Hillary’s defiance meant.)

You can bend but never break me / ‘Cause it only serves to make me / More determined to achieve my final goal.

You go, grrl!