David Lebedoff: A pair of candidates stood at the river ...

The moral of an old story applies in the Democratic race.

By DAVID LEBEDOFF

Last update: April 9, 2008 - 6:38 PM

There's an old story that suddenly has become very timely:

A scorpion wants to cross a river. But scorpions can't swim. The scorpion sees a frog. He asks the frog to carry him on his back across the river. The frog demurs. "Do you think I'm crazy? If you get on my back, you'll sting me -- and your sting is fatal."

Not to worry, replies the scorpion. "If I sting you, you'll die, true, but that means that I'll die, too, because I can't swim. It's in my self-interest not to sting you. If I did, your murder would be my suicide as well."

The logic was impeccable. So the frog agreed to carry the scorpion on his back. They set off across the river. Halfway to the other side, the scorpion stung the frog. As the two of them sunk beneath the waves, the dying frog said, "How could you do this? It means your own death, too."

"I know," said the drowning scorpion, "but it's in my nature."

Well, the roles of frog and scorpion are being played, respectively, by Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. Just metaphorically, that is. Clinton is very able, and she has as much right to cross the river as anyone else -- but stinging isn't going to get her there.

Anyone who says that she's sure her opponent is not a Muslim, then adds "as far as I know," is a habitual stinger.

In fairness to both of the Clintons, people tend to do what has been done onto them. The abused-child syndrome. Stingees become stingers.

And to put another small stone on the Clinton side of this scale, they both have been told by experts every day for 25 years that what they were seeking was impossible to achieve, and yet they managed often to prevail. So even when the advice of others is sound, the Clintons' experiences have reinforced a natural urge to ignore it.

All that being true, there is a big brick on the other side of the scale: The frog may not be just Barack Obama. It may be the entire Democratic party. Sen. Clinton knows that prolonging the river passage may so damage the reputations and embitter the supporters of both candidates that neither, if nominated, can win. She's willing to risk that fate, however increasingly probable, because she claims she can somehow manage to change the vote tally. Or is it just her nature?

In the meantime, John McCain is alone in his rowboat, paddling steadily toward the far bank.

David Lebedoff is a Minneapolis attorney. His newest book will be published by Random House in August.

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