Wednesday, August 27, 2008 | 6:52 p.m.

The Losing Candidate's Public Pain

by Mark Shields

To mask the painfully public and publicly painful experience of losing a presidential campaign, Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., turned to humor to mask his hurt: "Frankly, I don't mind not being president ... I just mind that somebody else is."

Unless one has actually run for president — and failed — it is all but impossible to grasp the life-altering permanence of that loss. The story is told about former Vice President Walter "Fritz" Mondale, the defeated 1 ...

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4 Comments | Post Comment
Posted by: dg
Comment: #1
Fri May 9, 2008 9:34 PM

I hope there is much respect and graciousness in the coming weeks, thanks for highlighting its importance.

Posted by: Rose Stern
Comment: #2
Sat May 10, 2008 5:11 AM

I THINK OBAMA HAS BEEN MORE RESPECTFUL THAN THE MEDIA. I AM ONE OF THOSE UNDREDUCATED WORKING MOMS THAT ARE ON THE SIDE OF HILLARY CLINTON. ALTHOUGH I DON'T HAVE A DEGREE I RESENT BEING TREATED AS ADUMMY. IWORKED FROM THE TIME I WAS 16 UNTIL IWAS 75, AS WELL AS RAISING 7CHILDREN AND SEEING THAT THEY ALL GOT AN EDUCATION. I FINISHED HIGH SCHOOL, BUT WAS UNABLE TO AFFORD COLLEGE. MY BROTHERS HAD THE GI BILL. SOME EQUALITY. NO WOMDER US OLDER DUMMIES LIKE HILLARY. SHE SEEMS TO UNDERSTAND. FINISH THE PRIMARIES AND THEN COUNT THE VOTE,

Posted by: James A, Sweeney
Comment: #3
Sat May 10, 2008 6:41 AM

Sir; I respect your opinion, and believe Mrs. Clinton is doing as much damage to herself as to Mr. Obama, or the democratic party. I don't think it was an accident she was drinking Crown Royal. I think she is what she was born to be: A Republican in Drag. But I will still bet even money that if she could break even, and pay back to herself all the millions she has loaned to her campaign; that she would depart with grace. No one else betting on her is going to get their money back, and most of them had far less to give, or to lose. And she has no way to win unless Mr. Obama decides to lose; so she is praying for a hail mary pass, and an our father intervention, and both are remote possibilities. If people want to get her off the stage before she stinks up the place, they should give her a enough millions to get her through her glory years in style. As it stands, all the money spent now goes to beating democrats, and to breaking the small doners in the face of the larger contest. Watch for her spending little on advertizments, and buying no new ones. It does not look like she is running a phoney war, but she may be making a demonstration aimed more at covering a retreat than gaining victory. So that is my bet. If she can recoup some financial loss she will be history.

Posted by: Masako
Comment: #4
Sat May 10, 2008 9:15 AM

Nice try Mark. I hope she can listen to you and the many others. Maybe Bill can start trying to rebuild his image and help to lead the way on this one. Maybe. - Ms. Rose, if you really listen to what Barack is saying, you will find that he is just as much on your side as Hillary is if not much more so. That war in Iraq has done more to hurt you and me, not to mention the MILLIONS of Iraqis whose lives have been completely ruined, than any other single thing our sick our government in a long, long time. She still can't admit she was wrong, and now she has the gaul to start talking about nuking Iran, which Iraq used to keep in check before we turned it into chopped meat. I don't think she will ever do that, but why does she have to say that? What kind of voter do you think she is trying to appeal to by saying such a stupid thing? - It is not only the media that is insulting your and my intelligence. Didn't you feel a little bit like a chump when she was busted for that whopper about sniper fire in Bosnia? She is a highly educated multi-millionaire trying to pretend she is just about everything other than what she is in order to get a vote. Many of the policies she has offered up in her campaign sound great, but you and I really have no idea how she will handle any issue when it's time for her to make a decision. You can't trust anything she says.

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