What just happened?

Don't get me wrong, I like Hillary Clinton. I always have. I think she's bright and articulate. She has a winning smile and, I believe, a genuine faith. I think she likes people and cares passionately about making the world a better place. I think I would enjoy having her as a friend or a relative. But last night just reminded me of all the reasons I didn't support her for president.

Several hundred people crowded into what looked like half a college gym to hear her speak. They were not allowed to bring in Blackberries or cell phones or any other device that might allow them to hear the news that Barack Obama had just been awarded the final four delegates that made him the presumptive Democratic nominee. Likewise, after the announcement about Obama, no one else was allowed into the venue.

Clinton was then introduced with enthusiasm as "The Next President of the United States"--remember that Obama had already gained the necessary votes to win the nomination--as the crowd went wild. This was no conciliatory speech. It was self-congratulatory from the beginning, then veered into veiled disgruntledness, casting doubt on the validity of Obama's nomination because of the Florida/Michigan fiasco (don't even get me started on that). C and Mowgli and I were all yelling at the TV--"What is she doing?" Jeffrey Toobin on MSNBC called it "the delusional narcissism of the Clintons." He might be right.