The run for the office is a polite war under a known set of civil rules. Change the rules and people play different strategies. To say that Hillary would be ahead if there were a different set of rules is to say the rules don't affect the play. One just can't know.

That's the whole point about seating the Florida and Michigan delegates. Had those states planned to vote, the candidates would have approached those states differently. To seat them now, changing the rules after the fact, does not allow a fair fight.

And here is where experience comes in. Of all people, Hillary says her major strength is experience. She knew the system and how it works, and could have advocated change before-the-fact. So if it's not working for her now, after-the-fact, and she didn't anticipate that it would matter, that's not to her credit on what she claims is her strong suit: experience.

Let's ignore for the moment that the media is responsible for the fact that campaigns are entertainment, and so they don't allow candidates to speak on the issues. The most recent debate is the perfect example. But the media is diffuse and changing it to do other than it does is a tricky task in a free speech society. So it is what it is. Let's talk therefore of leaders.

The apologist talk show spin is that Romney got out on the Republican side to save the party from destroying itself in a protracted debate. That's surely at least partially face saving but it's a defensible position, and in practice whether it's the reason for getting out or just the effect, it's benefited the Republicans.

McCain is getting a free pass in the press and the opportunity to avoid missteps in debates because he's not in contention with anyone. Republicans are free to spin Hillary as still in the game because they'd rather run against her than Barack. Independents who would vote for McCain in the election are free to vote Hillary in the primaries in some states, improving McCain's chances.

National debt is a big problem, and Hillary's record managing her campaign's finances don't engender confidence. Climate change will require united approaches among varied constituencies and we need a uniter, not the divider that Hillary has lately shown herself to be. Also, Obama/McCain at least promises to be a dignified campaign that's about issues, while Clinton/McCain already promises to be more personality oriented, side-stepping the substance of important issues. It's time to move on from all of that.

Politics will not become a Utopia overnight, but it does need to evolve. The relevance of the youth vote is not just that they're a separate number of votes, it's that they're the face of the future population, disenchanted with the way the old guard has been running things and they want a fair shake at a new way of doing things. Hillary's message that cynicism trumps vision is a sad one, not just for them, but for all of us.

Hillary needs to stand down.