Clinton to suspend campaign, says goodbye to staff

Early this evening, the New York Times and ABC News are reporting that Hillary Clinton is looking to suspend her candidacy on Friday (Update: the event will now be held on Saturday) after a day of conversations with surrogates and Democratic figures who were supporting her. Other news agencies like Politico are now refining the news by describing the news as coming directly from the campaign and even reporting a venue from Clinton's speech: Washington, DC before a possible New York homecoming.

Obama's campaign was disappointed last night when Clinton did not endorse him in her prime-time speech, which would have set up a great moment for Obama to unify the party in his own address. Depending on how grandiose Clinton chooses her Friday event to be and the hour of the day at which she holds the event, her last speech as a candidate might repair some of yesterday's lost opportunity or seek to minimize the withdrawal. For now, the venue of Clinton's withdrawal informs us about the kind of message she wants to send, namely that she intends to concentrate on her work in Washington and build her Senate career -- unless, of course, she is picked for other duties (if not a vice-presidential spot then maybe the czar of Obama's health care initiative).

Speaking to AIPAC this morning, Clinton had delivered the first sign that she was dropping the defiant tone of last night's speech as she chose a more conciliating tone. Speaking to an audience that gave her a warm welcome and whose leaders are often described as skeptical of Obama's candidacy, Clinton vouched for the Illinois Senator's: "And let me be very clear. I know that Sen. Obama will be a good friend to Israel." In a way, Clinton's speech allowed her to remind Obama that she remains popular among a number of groups that he will need to appeal to in the general election and that she remains a powerful force in the campaign. The day's second sign that Clinton would not put up a fight came in the afternoon, as Marc Ambinder reports that Clinton bid farewell to her emotional staff in Arlington.

There had been similar clues circulating earlier this week, for instance in reports that Clinton staffers had been told to submit all receipts and that their last day of work would come mid-June. This also suggests that Clinton had pretty much decided to not stay in the race as of last night but still chose to not withdraw in her Election Night address. This could have two explanations. First, Clinton wanted to put pressure on Obama to accept some of her bargaining positions -- and she has other things she could want than the VP spot. Second, this allowed her to receive donations for one more night which is important to her as the campaign is in debt.

Clinton is likely to occupy the center stage for a few more days as last night's events coupled with the coming announcement will guarantee that many political obituaries, campaign retrospectives are written by all papers and magazine, and this also means three more days of non-stop speculation about Clinton's intentions and potential plans -- which is also what Clinton wants to stay relevant in the conversation. Starting Saturday night, however, the focus will be on the general election. The two campaigns are already in full war mode and are now going back-and-forth on the possibility of holding more debates.

Meanwhile, the Obama campaign will dramatically expend in the coming days and weeks as it integrates some staff from the Clinton campaign and more generally opens up more offices, sets up more resources and starts recruiting volunteers to organize for the general election campaign. How long will we have to wait to see Obama start airing ad, as he is, after all, sitting on top of a giant warchest which he only has 3 more months to use (as the primary funds cannot be spent after the convention).