Is Obama tough enough?

So Hillary wins the key races, but the folks over at Air America were talking this morning about how she should step aside anyway. They're shocked (shocked!) at her recent tactics; she's not playing nice.

They're missing the point of primary season.

Much as I support Obama, if he can't stand up to Hillary, how will he stand up when the voices of Rove, Coulter, Limbaugh and the rest rally behind McCain and get nasty, as they inevitably will?

And McCain may not have stood with them in the past, but this is a once-proud man who now hires a talking head to introduce him with insinuations about Obama's race and religion, then distances himself from his own introduction. The straight talk express is now the hate talk express.

Once of the best things about Hillary is her toughness. Republicans have gone after her and Bill with throngs of political hacks, legions of supposed journalists and armies of special prosecutors, and been beaten every time.

Obama's talk about a new era of cooperative politics is certainly inspirational. But can it hold up against the old politics of rip their throats out and grind them into the dirt?

Demoats lost with Gore and Kerry, who declined to fight back and lost races they should have won. We actually once nominated Walter Mondale, who slogan was "Jimmy Carter's vice president.' And then there was Michael Dukakis, who vowed to try to be nice if someone raped his wife.

Obama is being tested, and frankly, if he can't stand up to Hillary, he would lose to McCain. This is why we have primaries.