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As Dominoes Fall, Hillary Should Take Her Bow

Update: 3 more Supers go to Obama today. See end of story for details. 6pm:Make that 4.

As my friend, David Knowles, noted yesterday, Barack Obama has now taken the Superdelegate lead from Hillary Clinton for the first time in this campaign. After taking the lead, more and more supes began to fall Obama's way. Even before Tuesday, the delegate math had stopped adding up for Hillary.

The Political Machine also reports that Rasmussen has stopped polling the Democratic Primary race, Terry McAuliffe has signaled that the end is near, and negotiations for a VP slot are already under way.

In the face of such inevitability, the question is now, not if, but when Hillary Clinton Conventional wisdom varies a lot on this, from just after the Kentucky primary on May 20, to June 3, the date of the last primary, with some convinced she'll still go to the convention. I suggest a different date. If not today, then tomorrow or Monday. She can skip right over the defeat and go right to accepting that Vice Presidency, having ended on the high note of a victory in Indiana.

The alternative is to watch a flood of Supers go to Obama, and possibly even lose in West Virginia and Kentucky. She can be Rocky Balboa from the first film, or William Wallace's vanquished Braveheart.

Whatever happens, I want to see Democrats behaving with grace and good sportsmanship toward Hillary and her supporters. Obama himself has struck the right chord, as did Senator Claire McCaskill on Thursday's conference call, but the same cannot be said for Ted Kennedy. Worse than that, though, was this display of disrespect on CNN Tuesday night, which I have just now seen for myself.



This is reprehensible behavior on the part of all concerned. The worst offender by far here is Anderson Cooper, but who the eff are any of these people to laugh at Lanny Davis?

I have said over and over again that Team Clinton has run a tone-deaf, misguided campaign, and I understand the ins and outs of a rhetorical joust, but these folks were just mocking him from the minute he came on the air.

I'll be honest, I don't know a hell of a lot about Lanny Davis, but I did meet him briefly in Philadelphia after Hillary's victory celebration. I didn't go into much detail then because I had already written sooo very much.

It was hours after the event had ended. I was strolling around the ballroom of the Park Hyatt (I can never remember if there's a Regency in there), taking pictures and reflecting on the momentous footsteps I was retracing. It had been a big night for Hillary, and for me. I didn't want to leave for fear I would miss something.

There were roadies packing up the massive stage, and hotel personnel cleaning up. There were 3 TV crews left. Two were foreign press shooting live updates for far-off time zones. The third was a CNN crew shooting Lanny Davis. I walked around taking pictures for a very long time, and I stopped to watch Lanny. I couldn't really hear what he was saying, but I noticed the expression of exhausted joy on his face.

I went back to the press room for awhile, comparing notes with the few stragglers that remained, until I decided I'd better hit the road. As I walked past the ballroom, Lanny Davis came walking the other way. We exchanged pleasantries, and he went on his way, me on mine. As I descended the staircase of the hotel, I made a point to remember the xchange, as it was the last thing I did on that night, my first as a live journalist. I can still remember what I thought as he approached me, weary but satisfied. "Man. What a trouper."

So, it was particularly galling for me to see him taking crap from a guy who couldn't make the leap from regular "The Mole" to "Celebrity Mole." Take apart his talking points, run all over his argument, but for Pete's sake, don't laugh at the guy.

Lanny Davis, and by extension Hillary Clinton, love their country, love the Democratic Party, and truly believed that Hillary would do the best for both. It hasn't worked out the way they wanted it to, and much of what was done in service of that goal was misguided and damaging, but neither of them deserves mockery. They deserve a chance, now, to marshal those skills against the Democratic Party's new opponent. I hope that Obama's supporters follow McCaskill's example, and not Kennedy's or Cooper's.

Update
: 6pm - Via email, #4 today:
Chicago, IL – United States Congressman Harry Mitchell (D-AZ) endorsed Barack Obama for president today.

Update: Via email, 2 press releases from the Obama campaign:

AP - Obama supporter named superdelegate

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - Barack Obama picks up a superdelegate in Utah, bringing him within half a delegate of erasing Hillary Rodham Clinton's once-substantial lead among the elected officials and party leaders who will determine the Democratic presidential nominee.

The Utah Democratic Party named Kristi Cumming, an Obama supporter, as its sixth superdelegate following the party's annual fundraising dinner Friday.

Obama also picked up nine superdelegates from other states Friday, while Clinton picked up two. Clinton now leads Obama by a mere half delegate-272.5 to 272.

Little more than four months ago, on the eve of the primary season, the former first lady held a lead of 169-63.

Two Virgin Island Superdelegates Endorse Barack Obama


Former Clinton Superdelegate Kevin Rodriquez switches to back Obama Chicago, IL – Virgin Island superdelegates Carole Burke and Kevin Rodriquez endorsed Barack Obama today.

Rodriquez switched his endorsement citing Obama's ability to unite the Democratic Party and win the White House:

"While I have great respect for Senator Clinton, today I am announcing my support for Barack Obama. Senator Obama has brought a new generation and energy into the democratic process and the Democratic Party. He has shown he can connect with Democrats, Republicans and Independents across this country, whether we live on the mainland or an island. Senator Obama's judgment to lead, courage to tell the truth and commitment to working men and women make him the best candidate to lead this country forward."

274 superdelegates have endorsed Barack Obama and 122th have endorsed since Feb 5. Obama is 157 delegates away from securing the Democratic nomination

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