That swooshing sound you hear everywhere this morning is the sound of Democrats exhaling.

They have survived Hillary. The senator from New York had her moment in the spotlight at the Democratic National Convention in Denver last night. And she delivered the goods with a call to unite behind Sen. Barack Obama and send him to the White House in November.

It’s been a long, strange trip that found Clinton at the podium in Denver. She no doubt had been expecting to be there Thursday night, to accept the mantle as the first woman nominated by a major party for president, coinciding with the 88th anniversary of women gaining the right to vote.

Didn’t work out that way. A lot of other people also exercised their suffrage. In the process, the scales tipped to Obama.

But Clinton would not go away. Neither would the rumors.

Ever since it became apparent that Clinton would not be able to dig her way out of an early hole and overtake Obama’s commanding lead, despite big wins for her in Pennsylvania and most of the key big states Democrats traditionally need to win, there have been rumblings of anger in the Clinton camp.

Hillary was not happy. Neither was her husband, former President Bill. Even more furious were here legions of supporters, many of them women, who felt they had been cheated out of something that was rightfully theirs, or so they thought -- the Democratic nomination.

They insisted she was the better candidate, that she was in a better position to beat the apparent GOP standard-bearer John McCain, that the numbers eventually would tilt her way.

But the numbers did not lie. The nomination – something the Clinton camp seemed to believe they were almost entitled to – were not going to change. She would not be able to overcome Obama’s lead. He was going to be the nominee.

The Clinton camp accepted all of this through gritted teeth. Then everyone held their breath for months in expectations of just how involved Clinton would be in backing Obama.

Last night Hillary Clinton dispelled all of that with a speech that hit all the right notes for those looking for a unified party moving out of Denver and on to the general election in November.

Of course, as there always is with the Clintons, there are a few more landmines to avoid. There is today’s roll call vote that apparently is still the focus of intense lobbying this morning. Just how far the vote actually goes remains to be seen, and whether those who may not get the opportunity to cast their voices for Hillary will cry foul could still soil the Dems’ week.

Then there is Mr. Bill. The former president also speaks tonight, before the vice presidential nominee, Delaware Sen. Joe Biden.

Whether Bill Clinton will be as magnanimous as his wife remains to be seen.

Maybe it’s time for Democrats to start holding their breath again.