Hillary will end up just fine [View All]

If she loses Texas or Ohio, she's going to bow out gracefully. If she wins both, she has every right to continue the dialogue and move on to Pennsylvania. At the very least, another important state will get energized with record turnout that will improve our chances in November. Probably the best thing that can happen for the party is for both candidates to barnstorm Pennsylvania for 6 weeks.

And if it ends up not working out, she will have lots of choices.

She can try to position herself for Senate Majority Leader. Reid is inept and she'll have a lot of support I'm sure within the party if she bows out gracefully.

She can go Ted Kennedy on you and just vote her liberal heart out the rest of her career being content with just being a NY senator and not having any more ambitions beyond that. Not being concerned with leadership positions allows you to vote your conscience. No more worrying about playing the role of moderate or centrist or worrying about polls.

She can become the defacto leader of the party and pick up the pieces if Obama flames out and McCain wins the general election. A 2012 run in that scenario is not out of the question. She'll be 65. It aint a spring chicken but it's not that terribly old either.

Or maybe she'll decide she's had enough of the public scrutiny that goes along with public office and would like to do other things. She may decide not to run for reelection in 2012 and maybe start her own foundation focusing on women's rights around the world or something else that will give her life richness.

She's Hillary Clinton. The world is her oyster.