For all the criticism levelled at Team Clinton for her so-called harsh treatment of Team Obama, the latter should be happy and thankful for it.

Why?

Because Team Obama can learn a thing or two from the attacks, knowledge it will need during the general election.

Team Obama will be up against another team,people that have no scruples whatsoever, a team that will have no problem letting surrogates plant fake stories with befriended journalists about Obama and his selling of crack cocaine to kids.

There will be fake stories about Obama's hustling, beating up of former girlfriends, hell - Obama's pimping.

At the same time, Democrats will be getting robocalls from 'Angry Black Man', which will make them think twice about going out to vote. (And which is exactly the objective.)

Expect Angry Black Man's 'pro-Obama' phonecalls to be made to Jewish and Italian pensioners in Florida. At 3 a.m. in the morning.

There will be 'independent' talk radio hosts who will mercilessly pounce on Obama's second name, Hussein, and how Obama used to play with Muslim kids on the school yard in Indonesia.

The madrassa story will be revisited with a vengeance. Each Team Obama counter-attack will only be used to keep the fake story alive. There will no longer be an accusation, but there will be monologues / dialogues about the accusation, which is just as bad.

There actually will be TV ads with Obama's skin made darker than it really is.

Left-leaning, unemployed Democrats who are vehemently opposed to NAFTA will get robocalls from so-called "alienated Democrats" who will say that Obama's actually not going to renegotiate NAFTA. "Ralph Nader however is against NAFTA. Should you not be voting for him...?"

Michelle Obama is going to be depicted as unpatriotic, someone who is a far worse feminist than Hillary Clinton. She too will  be accused of having "too much influence" on her husband with her "anti-patriotism" (cue Obama sans US flag pin, cue Obama not singing national anthem).

Obama the candidate will also be pounced again and again on the differences between his speech rhetoric of unity, and his "divisive, ultra-liberal" platform.

And much, much more.

Chastise Team Clinton for the rough handling it is giving Obama? Sure; be naive. Pretend this is the first presidential campaign you're witnessing.

Go ahead, make the same mistakes Team Gore and Team Kerry made.

Go ahead, tell yourself that the mainstream media is on Obama's side. (Read this excellent article on that; or my own months earlier, here.)

Go on then - tell yourself that "the American electorate will see through these smear tactics". Go on, tell yourself that "the American people will see these smears for what they are."

Like Gary Hart's supporters did. Like Al Gore's supporters did. Like John Kerry's supporters did.

Team Obama has thus far been doing quite a bad job in responding. Campaign discipline obviously also isn't what it should be.

True, it is learning; the quick 'resignation' of Samantha Powers was a testament to that. Team Obama is starting to understand that it's not reality or truth that matter, but the voters' perception of both.

So in between all your fuming and toothgrinding about the "smear tactics" of Team Clinton, know this: whatever happens, Team Clinton is giving Team Obama a taste of what's to come for Obama during the general election.

Oh, and wait a minute... If you think that Obama is going to change the way politics are done in the US, or change the way how election campaigns are done, also: think again.

Obama would be able to take that moral ground and keep it if the press would support him in it. But they won't. Publishing companies, TV and radio stations, news websites: they all have salaries to pay. Reporting on  rumours, backstabbing and scandals sell.

Cuz however much voters would like to see a change in politics, they just can't help longing for juicy, raunchy articles about sex, lies and videotape.

So. If anything, be thankful for what Team Clinton's doing. Come July, she'll be out of the game anyway and Obama's shining armour will have grown thicker.

One hopes...