Once again, news travels that the race for the Democratic presidential nomination is over. Actual voting, apparently, is optional. Cue the music, drop the balloons and pass the crown to Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York.

Her flawless campaign, an effort of metronomic precision, has taken the mystery out of the process. She has even taken a lead on fundraising. No room for surprise or drama. It's a wire-to-wire win.

If the election were held today, as the pollsters like to ask, that, no doubt, would be true.

But that's not how the process works.

The process forces candidates to compete for the heartland votes of Iowa, the flinty Yankee sentiments of New Hampshire and the Southern sensibilities of South Carolina, among other players.

It's why, not too long from now, you will likely hear words like these from another candidate coming soon to a speech in an Iowa town:

"I want to thank the thousands of you who came here today. I want to particularly thank the elected officials, the teachers, and all you young people who want to make a difference.

"When I look out and see so many people — and by the way, how many of you have registered to vote and will pledge to caucus? — I wonder if we are living in the same country as the people who write the newspaper headlines and put the reports on television.

"Because those people seem to be saying that none of you matters. And, what do I see here, three, four, maybe five thousand people? That none of you matters because this election is over.

"They are saying that it is over, that the polls say this, that the pundits say that, that we are all just wasting our time. That this election is over.

"Well, do you feel that way? All of you, standing here, wanting to change the direction of this country? Do you feel as if this election is over? Over before you even got to exercise your right to vote? All of you, standing here, who want to end this war in Iraq? Who want health care for your children? Who want to get the special interests out of the public interest in Washington? Do you feel as if this election is over?

"In Iowa — as I have learned now in my many trips here and in my many conversations on the corner, in the coffee shops, at the Maid-Rite, in the schools — there is a tradition, a way of doing things.

"In Iowa, folks don't like to be told that their vote doesn't count. Folks don't like to be told that their voice doesn't matter. Folks don't like to be told who the winner is before the doors to the caucus have even been opened.

"But that's what we're hearing, isn't it? That there is something preordained in this election. Well, that's not what I am seeing. Not when I look out into this crowd and I see all these wonderful faces. I see faces yearning for hope. I see faces yearning for change. I see faces who want to see the new day, not the old way.

"When I look at the polls here in Iowa — where the race for the White House will really start — I see a very close race. With many very good candidates. And what I see is that a lot of people haven't made up their minds, even though some candidates have been on the scene for an awfully long time.

"There are people who want us to tear down our opponents. That is not why we are here. That is not how we get strong. That is how we get weak.

"And we want to stay strong. And when we see crowds like this, we feel strong. Because in your numbers, there is strength. This is not a race that starts and ends on one day. It is a series of contests, in many parts of the country, the Midwest, the Northeast, the South.

"So don't let anyone tell you that your vote does not count. It does. Are you going to let anyone tell you that the race is over before you have even cast your vote? Is this your process? Does it belong to the Washington pundits? Then stand with me."

Don't bet against somebody raining on the coronation.

Michael Tackett is the Chicago Tribune's Washington Bureau chief.