Democrat Harry Reid, the Senate majority leader, is in a unique position to settle his party's presidential nomination battle between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.

And the solution he could offer his party would not involve winning another primary or caucus, negotiating redo votes in Florida and Michigan, convincing superdelegates to make or break commitments, or masterminding convention floor fights.

The solution that is within his power is simpler, yet more profound than any of the extraordinary political events America has witnessed this election year. It requires only the rarest of things: an individual willing to set aside his own power and ambition for the good of his party and his country. It is this: Mr. Reid could step aside as leader of the Senate and hand the post to Mrs. Clinton. Only the proffer of this consolation prize would likely persuade Mrs. Clinton to drop her divisive, and now futile, quest for her party's nomination.

Make no mistake – because of the increasingly bitter Clinton-Obama fight, the Democrats are poised to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Every political indicator points to a smashing Democratic win this November. Their presidential candidates have outraised the Republican field by a huge margin; 2008 turnout in Democrat primaries has almost doubled over the turnout in 2004; the Democrats' congressional campaign committees are swamping their GOP counterparts in fundraising; a record number of Republican incumbents are retiring from Congress, opening numerous opportunities for Democratic gains; President Bush's unpopularity continues at record highs; the war in Iraq remains unpopular; and the economy is in, or near, recession.

Yet, because Mrs. Clinton continues to try to win what has become unwinnable, John McCain now holds comfortable leads over both Democrats for the first time in this race. In her selfishness and grandiose sense of entitlement for the presidency, Mrs. Clinton's continued pursuit of the nomination threatens to tear asunder what could otherwise be a dream Democratic year.