No, he's more clever than that. Instead, he praised Obama's opponent, John McCain, reminding all those disenfranchised women that they still have a choice.

"The Republicans in a few days will nominate a good man who has served our country heroically and who suffered terribly in a Vietnamese prison camp," Clinton said Wednesday night. "He loves his country every bit as much as we do. As a senator, he has shown his independence of right-wing orthodoxy on some very important issues."

But of course, Clinton supports Obama.

A few days earlier at the National Clean Energy Summit in Las Vegas, Clinton praised McCain's energy policy.

"Obviously, I favor Senator Obama's energy positions, and Democrats have been by and large the more forward-leaning actors," Clinton said. "But John McCain has the best record of any Republican running for president on the energy issue and on climate change. I'm very encouraged about where the presidential rhetoric is in this campaign."

Really?

Hillary, too, played her necessary role as unifier. She gave a great speech. And, yes, she moved to suspend the roll call of states and nominate Obama by acclamation. But what else was she going to do? Remind Democrats that Obama isn't ready to take that 3 a.m. call?

Patience is a virtue of age, they say, and the Clintons have learned to wait. If they can survive adultery, public humiliation and impeachment while in the White House, they can muddle through a little setback like Obama's nomination.

Obama is special, to be sure. He is unique. He is often inspiring. He also can lose.

If he does, Hillary will be ready on Day One. That is, Nov. 5, 2008. By the Clinton calendar, 2012 is just around the corner.