First, I'd like to say the two other major candidates, Barack and John, would be excellent candidates for our Party. But the reason why you're reading this diary is that the Iowan electorate [or more precisely, that which showed up Thursday night] went for the most mainstream candidate, despite some obvious flaws with her campaign and organization.
See - it's not just about the person. We don't elect a monarch. We elect a team, ah, "Party", and that group has to be ready to go on Day One. And despite some very good appeals to head and heart (by John and Barack), the most important part of your anatomy in a voting situation has to do with the part of your body closest to your Wallet. There is an implicit promise that a Clinton administration will get us back to the economic prosperity of 1993-2000. Hillary is as close to an incumbent as we can have.
The Obama "Kumbaya" message is wonderful, but I absolutely agree with those who say a week's worth of Limbaugh would leave his candidacy like so much fine pate. And Edwards' "populist" theme seems to be self-defeating in that he's giving every Fortune-1000 corporation a reason to write a check AGAINST the Deomcratic Party.
As to the late breaking silly stuff -- Ralph Nader for Edwards, Kucinich "second" to Barack -- these would actually seem to work as negative endorsements, in that these endorsers have far more Democrats annoyed or disgusted with them than viewing them favorably. (Never forget what the Nader vote did to the Gore tally in Florida in 2000.) If I was JE or BO on Iowa caucus eve, I'd have asked these individuals not to bother -- just as I'd have avoided a radioactive Lieberman endorsement.
So, bottom line: Thursday wound up being a vote for Party vitality, for the most positive candidate, and the organization's best hope for electoral success in a reality-based world. I hope John Edwards is the Veep nominee, and I hope Barack is our candidate in 2016.