I will pose the converse of the thoughtful points made in the Fray: What makes you certain that Obama will have the steam to beat McCain? As a lifelong Democrat, ctivist and donor to the party, I insist that Democracy break out in the Democratic Party and that Hillary can stay in until she has made her argument with voters. After all she is winning the big states, real elections and is on a hot streak of late. I remind my friends that the number of states you won is immaterial to the general election--that little inconvenience calledd the electoral college demands 270 votes and it takes a heap of small states if you can't win in TX, Cali, NY, Ohio and Pennsylvania, which all acknowlege the Democrats have to carry in the fall to win the general.

I see a loss for Barack in Indiana Tuesday and the spread will not matter.

Hillary will lose in NC most likely and the spread does matter there since Barack was supposed to blow her out of the water. That will almost certainly NOT happen. I am trending sensitive mean numbers, not outliers to reach both conclusions.

For people who keep wondering why the Super Delegates don't just announce and end this thing, there is an old rule of politics as practiced by all political machines and it goes something like this:

"If you are with me in the primary, you get a good job. If you are with me in the General, you get Good Government."

Many of the Super Delegates are job-seeking in any Democratic Administration. They just want to be on the winning team.

The pressure from Obama heavies Nancy Pelosi, et al to cave and announce for BO now in the current uncertainty is making them very nervous. "The train is leaving the station" argument is just so much posturing and hard sell (arm-twisting?) The impending disaster predicted by the Obama Amen Corner if Hillary doesn't fold NOW has lost all credibility. Jon Alter wanted her to get out before Texas and Ohio. I am glad he is not my doctor.

For all the sturn und drang, the primary season has been a net positive for the Democrats, not particularly nasty or underhanded. But the Amen Corner magnifies every slight, real or imagined to malign "the Clintons" as ruinous to the ticket in the fall.

I have heard all this before--in fact, every four years since I was old enough to read. And it just ain't so.

The train will not leave the station without every pledge available. There are just not enough SD's to spare.

It is also worth noting that the trickle of SD's the O'08 Campaign has been rolling out this week were "triggered" to give the appearance of momentum. Right now the SD's are actually terrified of making a hasty announcement.

Barack will most likely recover, but this has been the week from hell and barring some extraordinary event Barack will split with Clinton and we will go on with two more victories looming for Hillary next week.

However your Super Delegate math is right for the moment. I we so stipulate and If Obama's victory is certain, there is no harm in letting Democracy prevail and let the primaries finish.

It seems that the the only time the fourth and fifth estate gets upset is when Democracy actually breaks out in the Democratic Party. And who elected the media oligarchy, anyway? The voters will decide and if they cannot, that's what conventions are for. I say relax. At the very worst, Hillary has made Barack Obama a better candidate if he is the nominee. He will need all that training to meet Charlie Black, Roger Ailes and the vast right wing slime machine..

So for now,you should relax. There is no knockout punch likely Tuesday. But in the unlikely event BO wins NC & Indiana. it’s over and the rush to get on the train will be astonishing.