That's according to today's issue of the New York Times.
If you have been following up on the political news, you would probably agree with that. Although the statements made by Reverend Jeremiah Wright, Obama's former pastor, probably did leave a less favorable view on his supporters than prior to Wright's comments circulated YouTube, Obama's speech on racism in America was more talked-about than the callous remarks made by his former pastor. For days pundits have pondered whether Sen. Obama could weather the controversy over Rev. Wright's racially polarizing comments. They found out that Obama rose to the occasion.
Hillary Clinton faces an uphill battle to the nomination. Obama has won 30 of the states thus far with 10 more contests to go. He holds a nearly insurmountable lead in pledged delegates and the popular vote. Sen. Clinton has a plethora of objectives on her plate to make a case to the superdelegates that she deserves the nomination.
First, she needs to win the Pennsylvania primary handedly to support her argument that she can deliver in big states. Second, she needs a lead in popular vote by the end of June. Finally, Clinton has to provide her case to superdelegates, because neither of the two will get to the 2,024 delegates needed the clinch the nomination.
Since his victory in Mississippi, Obama has campaigned heavily in Pennsylvania, while still looking ahead to other states, visiting Indiana, North Carolina, and most recently, West Virginia. Since his "A More Perfect Union" speech in Philadelphia, Obama has gained a more favorable view among voters nationwide and in Pennsylvania.
There's another problem for Clinton. Clinton faces the nearly impossible task of gaining the popular vote. What makes it even more improbable for the Senator from New York is that a re-vote in Michigan and Florida, something Clinton has championed heavily for, looks doubtful in either state. A compromise could be made, but Michigan and Florida aren't the real issue right now.
The reality is that John McCain has wrapped up the Republican nominee. He is free to attack against the Democrats while they are fighting with themselves. Yes, he is confusing Al-Qaeda with Iran, but every passing day is closer to a McCain Presidency. Contrary to what some believe, it is not certain that a Democrat will be in office in January '09. Polls between both McCain and Obama and McCain and Clinton are relatively close, especially considering the poll's margin of error. If Obama and Clinton fight to the bitter end, there may not be enough time for the Democratic nominee to criss-cross the country for support or for him/her to respond to criticism.
Clinton is using up time and money that could be better used in a general election. If she truly wants a Democrat elected in November, she would know what to do. She'd step aside.
The question is, "Will she?" Unfortunately, I see it highly unlikely that Clinton will step aside anytime soon. If Obama is able to pull an upset in Pennsylvania, maybe the fact that she lost the most delegate-rich state of those left coupled with the unlikely prospect of a re-vote may be enough for "The Fighter" to do what is best for the DNC. If Obama wins North Carolina, the second most delegate-rich state left, it may be enough for her to drop out and emphatically put her support behind the Senator from Illinois.
Nonetheless, the question remains, "Will she?"
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