The Campaign That Was

Ben Smith talks to McCain chief strategist Steve Schmidt and Obama campaign manager David Plouffe. It's interesting throughout, but this caught my eye:

[Schmidt] explained his decision to deny Palin an election night speech as a nod to the fact that the concession is a “singular moment” in American public life.

“It begins the process by which power is transferred peacefully,” he said.

Doug at Balloon Juice wonders:

Is Schmidt implying that Palin would have given an incendiary speech that would have, in some small way, disrupted the peaceful transfer of power? I don’t disagree but it’s an interesting admission, to say the least, if I’m interpreting it correctly.