"Well-Behaved Women Rarely Make History" and Clinton's Making History

On CNN's Larry King Live moments ago, there were strong words for Clinton. Arianna Huffington said that Hillary wasted her moment and should have encouraged supporters to back Barack. David Gergen said that the night should have belonged to Obama.

Instead of withdrawing, Hillary Clinton told an audience earlier in the evening, "I will carry your stories and your dreams with me every day for the rest of my life," and defied conventional wisdom by saying:

Now, the question is: Where do we go from here? And given how far we've come and where we need to go as a party, it's a question I don't take lightly. This has been a long campaign, and I will be making no decisions tonight.

But this has always been your campaign. So, to the 18 million people who voted for me, and to our many other supporters out there of all ages, I want to hear from you. I hope you'll go to my Web site at HillaryClinton.com and share your thoughts with me and help in any way that you can.

As for the possibility of Clinton being named Obama's running mate, Larry King asked Democratic strategist Jamal Simmons to consider this question: If their positions were reversed, wouldn't Obama be calling for Clinton to consider him for VP? His answer was no, and it was echoed by Huffington who said she didn't see an Obama/Clinton ticket happening.

That pairing is one that some regard as a dream ticket and others a nightmare in the making.

The situation brings to mind a popular quote that's been making the rounds for some time: "Well-behaved women rarely make history."

Many are describing Clinton in worse terms than ill-behaved, but one thing is sure - at the same time Barack Obama is making history, Hillary Clinton is also making history as the strongest runner-up to a presidential nomination in a very long time.

Although Clinton did not withdraw from the race, she did recognize Obama and his accomplishments within seconds of stepping onstage to make her speech:

I want to start tonight by congratulating Senator Obama and his supporters on the extraordinary race that they have run.

Senator Obama has inspired so many Americans to care about politics and empowered so many more to get involved. And our party and our democracy is stronger and more vibrant as a result. So we are grateful.

And it has been an honor to contest these primaries with him, just as it is an honor to call him my friend. And, tonight, I would like all of us to take a moment to recognize him and his supporters for all they have accomplished.

Hillary Clinton may not be 'well-behaved.' But as the above words attest, anyone saying she was rude in this specific situation doesn't have a leg to stand on.

One final note: According to Larry King in a short aside during his show, at 12:16 am Obama spoke with Clinton and reitereated that he would like to sit down with Hillary very soon.

Photo of the hands of a Hillary Clinton supporter on the final primary night
© Justin Sullivan/Getty Images