Twilight.

For months, Hillary Clinton regularly disparaged the chorus of pundits who painted her failure as inevitable. While they proclaimed that the numbers just couldn't add up, she proclaimed with equal certainty that the will of the people (white, middle-class people) would defy all expectations and carry her to victory. Even when the last of the primaries came and went, still leaving her over 200 delegates behind Barack Obama, she confounded the nation by refusing to formally concede. Apparently, Hillary Clinton really wanted to be president. Who knew?

There's a fine line between hopeful and deranged; the Clinton campaign happened to cross it around a month ago. Fortunately, all bad things come to an end. Hillary finally found the inner strength to recover from her ambitious stupor last Saturday. But the damage has already been done.

Not damage to party unity. Despite what certain people say, I have a hunch that even the most ardent Hillary supporters will have enough sense to support their party after eight years of oval office exile. No, in the Clinton's desperate battle to get back to the white house, the biggest casualty was the Clinton's standing in the political power structure of America.

If you had compiled a who's who list of Democrats two years ago, Bill and Hillary Clinton would have been at the top of the pile. They may be easy targets for conservative commentators, but Democratic admiration for the power couple has remained strong for over 16 years. He was the charismatic president who presided over the prosperous '90s, and held the white house for two full terms -- something no Democratic president had accomplished in over forty years. She was his activist first lady, and afterwards, a high-profile senator representing one of the largest states in the country. The Clintons were winners.

When Hillary entered the fight for the Democratic nomination, she was the obvious favorite.

Then something happened. Bill and Hill, who once made "Don't stop thinking about tomorrow" their refrain, began to look very yesterday. Barack Obama was fresh, new, and exciting. Young voters flocked to him in droves. People wanted change, and for some reason, giving a couple who had already spent eight years in the white-house a return trip didn't seem to fit the bill. The soap-opera baggage that came with the Clinton name alone looked like it could potentially stain the new leaf party activists wished to turn over. Hillary's pragmatic record, particularly her vote in favor of the Iraq war, remained a thorn in her side for the duration of the primary race.

All of this seemed to come as a surprise to the ridiculously confident Mrs. Clinton. On December 30, 2007, Hillary triumphantly boasted that the race would "be over on February 5th". February 5th passed; the race continued. Obama proved that he could face Hillary head on and manage to hold his ground.

At this point, Bill Clinton did what any loving husband would do in this sort of situation: he went nuts. Lashing out at reporters. Ranting about unfair treatment. Making racially charged remarks. Bill Clinton unwittingly became a sideshow freak in the biggest media circus on earth.

Unsurprisingly, right-leaning outlets such as the Drudge Report were quick to jump all over Bill's outrageous remarks. But the left-wing grassroots wasn't about to rush to defend his honor. Instead, key liberal hubs like the Daily Kos, and the Huffington Post began to rival Rush Limbaugh for sheer contempt of all things Clinton.

A new generation of internet-savvy Democrats had taken the reigns, and their message to Bill and Hillary was clear: t3h shun!

The Clinton image was rapidly falling apart. After years of being treated to largely positive coverage focusing on his philanthropic ventures, Bill submerged himself in the muddy waters of politics, and came out looking like a buffoon. Hillary just couldn't come to terms with the fact that she was losing -- and desperately tried to claw her way to the top once more. As things so often happen, she also came out looking like a buffoon.

Now, the fight is over. Most Democratic voters will try to forget about their differences with one another, and unite behind Barack Obama. There will be no Clinton dynasty. The times, as Bob Dylan once said, are a changin'. In these times, there may be a place for Hillary and Bill Clinton. But starring roles? Not a chance.