What if Obama just ignored Clinton from now on?

One of the first mistakes the Clinton campaign made was that long before votes had been cast, the campaign and all the talking heads on TV anointed her the nominee.  She bought into it and behaved as such.  She spent money like the primary season would be over before February and looked past her democratic opponents as little more than insignificant annoyances she would casually disperse with some early wins.  Even though that thinking got Clinton in a heap of trouble, that is exactly what I think Obama should do now.

Obama should behave as though the nomination process is complete, look past Clinton, and begin to focus only on McCain.  There are some indications that he is already doing this. There is a NY Times story this morning suggesting that McCain and Obama are already in negotiations for forums and unmoderated debates to be held throughout the summer.

Why was this a bad idea for Clinton but a good one for Obama?  Simple.  Timing.  Early on, before anyone had voted, when behaved as though she were already the nominee, she seemed arrogant.  Most people get really annoyed when others presume to know their plans and desires.  Clinton seemed to be doing just that.  Also, in December and January when primary season was just beginning, most people were excited to have their say.  Now days most democrats just seem tired of it all and are ready for the primary race to come to an end.  So when Obama behaves like a confirmed nominee he

1. will not annoy or offend most people because his confidence in his eventual nomination is supported by votes that have already been cast, not projections of what people will do.

2. will benefit from the fact that few democrats want to see any more of this.

By any arithmetic that is based in logic and reality, Obama is ahead in pledged delegates, popular vote, contests won, and now superdelegates too.   So what do I think Obama should do?  Ignore Clinton.  Not completely; pay just enough attention to her to not be rude.  Focus on McCain and remind democrats that what we want is a democrat back in the White House.  At this point it seems that most democrats believe that Clinton is behaving like a petulant child seeking attention, and nothing bothers petulant attention seeker more than the silent treatment.