Conventional wisdom holds that the Democratic Party treats its losing candidates badly.  This is a debatable point, but there are a number of examples that seem to back it up: Mondale, Dukakis, Kerry-- all thrown on the scrap heap, all doomed to irrelevance.  Same thing goes for Dems that lose the contest for their party's nomination. Howard Dean and Gary Hart--good guys who were made into the butt of jokes before they could work their way back to respectability.

Now Hillary, the current presumptive non-inee (tm) seems to be doing everything she can to diminish her stature and make a joke of her legacy even before she drops out.

So, How can Hillary stop the hemorrhaging?  How can she become a respected party leader again once she is out of the running?  Perhaps it would be instructive to look at two leaders who have ended their races with dignity intact for advice. 

Bill Richardson and Al Gore have bowed out of their respective contests yet remain party leaders.  So, what separates the Gores of this world from the Dukaki? The answer should be obvious.  If Hillary is to regain respectability after dropping out, she would be wise to to take a tip from these two statesmen and allow for a nice, leisurely "decompression period" (in Richardson's words).  The Hillary that comes back into the public eye will be rested, a little more casual, and have that certain je ne sais quoi that we've come to embrace in our failed candidates. 

Et voila!