Clinton, Conceding Little

The American vice presidency is a strange job. Its responsibilities are so vague that the holder of the office can disappear -- or turn it into a powerhouse, as Dick Cheney has and Clinton could. But the vice president's first task is to help elect the leader of the ticket.

Settling the debate over whether an Obama-Clinton team would be the aggregate of its strengths or the sum of its weaknesses may be beyond the capacities of pollsters or the vice presidential selection team Obama named yesterday. Deciding if putting Clinton on the ticket would undermine Obama's appeal as the candidate who can "turn the page" on the past involves a subjective judgment -- though you can imagine the mocking appearance of "Change We Used to Believe In" posters.

But gaining the vice presidency by invoking leverage just can't work. It makes the presidential candidate look weak. It breaks in advance the trust that running mates need. It can only presage conflicts and power struggles in a new administration.

Hillary Clinton is an enormously talented public servant. Many who ended up supporting Obama once hoped to support her. But Clinton's political future requires her to accept that Obama has prevailed, that the primary campaign is over and that graciousness in defeat can, paradoxically, be turned into the most powerful leverage of all.

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