The End of the Road

June 6, 2008— -- On January 22, 2007, Hillary Clinton confirmed in a web video what many had speculated about for years – she was throwing her hat in the Democratic presidential race.

"I'm in and I'm in to win," the New York Senator said in a video on her campaign web site. (We don't even need to note the address, she has done that on every voting night.)

At the time, Clinton led her closest opponent, Barack Obama, 41-17 in an ABC News/Washington Post poll. Over the next year political pundits declared her unstoppable, inevitable and the likely nominee. But something funny happened when the calendar flipped to 2008 – Obama won Iowa and crushed Clinton's glow of inevitability. The Obama campaign's strategy of targeting delegates, not battleground states, worked and he built an insurmountable lead in what counted in winning the nomination.

And so tomorrow afternoon in Washington D.C., after more than 50 nominating contests, 35 million votes, hundreds of events, countless handshakes, a fight over delegates and a few days to huddle with senior staffers and supporters, Clinton will suspend her presidential campaign.

Pundits and reporters will be paying close attention to what Clinton says about Obama, the now presumptive nominee. What will she say to urge and promote party unity? Will she echo her speech on Tuesday night and focus on her own journey or look ahead to Obama's journey through the general election? Will "hillaryclinton.com" come up? How about one more shout out to the "pundits and the naysayers?"

The farewell began today at Clinton's home in Washington DC. Campaign staffers gathered for a party of sorts and Clinton thanked them for their work and for putting their lives on hold over the long campaign.

Check out the best of the Clintons on the campaign trail – Hillary and Bill.

As Clinton bids farewell to her presidential run, the general election starts on the airwaves.

John McCain launched a major ad buy in swing states today, sober ads consisting of McCain talking directly to the camera about war and service. The ad will air in Pennsylvania, Ohio, New Mexico, Nevada, Michigan, Colorado, Missouri, Wisconsin, Iowa, West Virginia and Minnesota.

ABC News' Ron Claiborne and Bret Hovell report that the ad is "notable for its direct engagement of McCain's war record, something the Arizona Republican and presumptive presidential nominee had been reluctant to use in a political way."