At a campaign event with his erstwhile rival last night, Barack Obama was supposed to pass the metaphorical hat on behalf of Hillary Clinton’s campaign debt during one of his rousing trademark speeches. Only one problem - he forgot. Obama had to climb back before the crowd about a minute after the speech was done (and the music had already swelled) to make the plea.

Mr. Obama opened his remarks at the Grand Hyatt with generous praise for Mrs. Clinton. He said the primary campaign had made him a better candidate and had made the party stronger.

“She was, and is, tough and smart, and she wore me out,” Mr. Obama said with a chuckle.

“Many of you in this room understandably supported her in the primary, not only out of loyalty but because she inspired you,” he said. “The fact that you were as inspired about her campaign as my supporters were about mine is all good.”

At this point, he was supposed to appeal for donations for her debt-relief fund, aides said. He evidently forgot and circled back to do so at the end of his remarks.

After leaving the microphone for a minute – a detail the New York Times oddly omitted from its report yet the observant Associated Press noticed.

What I don’t understand is why retiring Senator Clinton’s debt is so important to party unity. Certainly Senator Clinton wouldn’t let crass financial considerations dampen her enthusiasm for the Democratic nominee. It’s like she’s holding a gun to the Democratic party’s head or something.

As ever, to know the Clintons is to know class. And to know Obama is to know political shamelessness.