I am speechless right now. I feel like a child waiting for Christmas to come. Mom, can we close the polls NOW?

I feel as if I am in St. Peter's Square waiting for the white smoke and the words, "Habemus Papa."

Feel free to add your own metaphors...

Here is one that may that may not immediately come to mind.  Barack Obama is a Romanov and Hillary Clinton is like Rasputin.  Just when you think that she is gone for good, she comes back.

The latest incarnation?  She sheds the garb of Presidential nominee puts on the pants suit of VP.

I would have never thought this possible a few months ago.  Certainly not during Bosnia-gate, her PA bitterness huffaraw, or her New Math.  Certainly not while Obama was the Knight in Shining Armor who dazzled us with his rhetoric and his (as characterized by Peggy Noonan) "Too Cool for School" aura.

But a funny thing happened on the way to the nomination (let me know if you sensed this too).  Around the time of PA, Obama suit of armor has dulled a little.  His speeches have become less soaring.  He silently donned a flag pin.  His attacks on McCain sound more like conventional politics.  (I'm hoping that he lets it fly in tonight's speech, but I suspect that if he attacks McCain, the speech will be closer to Earth than Heaven.)

For better or worse, Obama has become a more conventional politician.  Ironically, the result of this is that having Clinton on the ticket is less heretical now.  The decision comes down to a pragmatic, rather than idealogical calculus.  This is why I believe that if she plays nice and works hard to convince her constituency to vote for Obama, the Dream/Nightmnare ticket will become a reality.

This duet of harmoney/cacophony will take some negotiation and extensive strategery.  AND, it will take some real discipline from Bill Clinton.  He will have to play a significantly smaller role, and Hillary will have to keep Bubba on a tight leash.

But I think The Ticket will happen.

Mom, maybe I can wait a little longer to open my present...