Senator Clinton

When Clinton decided to go to war with (ie, empty the kitchen sink at) Obama, she ignored the dictates of the Powell Doctrine. Now she is entangled and without an exit strategy. I humbly offer one.

Clinton's Ind. victory speech suggests she's not ready to take the high road. But it is the end and she might consider leaving on a grace note today by conceding at an event celebrating next-generation women.

The 72 Indiana delegates are pretty much a draw. Clinton's popular vote margin in the state represents less than 2 percent of voters. And 5 of her 51 percentage points came from Republicans.

Many North Carolina voters say they saw Hillary on Fox with OReilley, which was a good thing. They were also swayed by live interaction with one of the three Clintons. Obama, they say, just wasn't around.

Clinton's website has already changed the nomination delegate threshold to 2208, as if Mich. and Fl. were already in the mix, as if the rules, the Dem. Committee and her word were all irrelevant.

Mark and Moises, friendly gay Midwesterners and a couple for 20 years, said Hillary has just been more visible in her support than Obama has been. "He's maybe catering to conservatives."

Hillary doesn't think she can win, but that doesn't stop her from playing out the Florida and Michigan con, just on the off chance that it will distract folks long enough for her to pilfer the nomination.

The race for the Democratic Party nomination could at last be decided today. Or not. OffThe Bus is on the ground with the campaigns in both battleground states, filing updated dispatches all day.

This weekend, as Clinton defended her gas tax proposal against what she described as the "elite opinion" of professional economists, I, like so many others, had to ask the obvious question: Since when does a Clinton get off as such a populist?

"We're very Middle America," admitted Mark Smith, from Boone Country Ind. He's a Ron Paul fan but came out for the chance to see Bill Clinton. "His talking here will really help Hillary," said another.

A gas tax holiday? That's not change. Clinton's judgment waxes and wanes like the FM signal on a long-distance drive. She has the working-class vote. Why is she toiling overtime to abase herself before it?

Hillary knows that she can't win, her own online petition is just more evidence. Even if Florida and Michigan give her the lead in popular votes, they will give Obama the nomination on delegate count.

The fact that 10 superdelegates have endorsed in 48 hours suggests that Clinton is running out of time, even if she's keeping the tallies close. But where are the anticipated waves of endorsements for Obama?

In the last few days, the weary and distracted candidate Obama has been more forceful and passionate. Confronting his displeasure with Rev. Wright seems to have lit a fire under the Barack ass.

An exhausted Senator Clinton trudged through a webcast interview with the editorial board of the Indianapolis Star, trotting out talking points and contradicting herself. Was it so bad it was good?

Women's leadership in the religious orders, as in other professions, has had a tremendous impact. For the pioneering women who were our seminary instructors, Clinton represents dramatic opportunity for change.

First North Carolina, now Mississippi. Rev. Wright has become fair game for Republican campaigners. The GOP willingness to use Obama against down-ballot candidates does not bode well for Democrats.

Reverend Wright is a problem in North Carolina. Down-ticket Dems hare already injecting race into their races. Jesse Helms was such a force in this state for so long that "some of that" is still lingering.

At an Indianapolis press conference, Obama struggled to draw a clear distinction for voters between his policies and those of Hillary Clinton. "It's tough," he said, "a lot of our differences get blurred."

The Wright/Obama story has been utterly mangled. It's a human story and a tragic one. Two decent men doing good work are being used against each other in a game of political one-upsmanship.

The current economic meltdown can be traced to McCain's financial adviser. McCain wants to further deregulate capital markets and cut taxes. McCain-onomics are Bush-onomics, but more so.

In Asheboro, Bill Clinton keeps it southern and small, ambling through a series of dinner pail concerns-- bills, schools, jobs-- the end point of which is always: "Hillary'll get that done for you."

For the Hillary-truthers, it's now the popular vote that matters. But Hillary won't win the popular vote. So this is the moment that matters for the party and for Hillary. Choose: ultimate victory or agonizing defeat.

In North Carolina, Bill reveals the Clinton mindset. They have simply imagined their return to the White House. It's a fascinating glimpse into how power can shape vision--not always to good effect.

If Hillary steals the nomination, there will be race division within the Democratic party. If McCain chooses Rice or Powell as VP, he would be masterfully positioning the Republican party as moving beyond its racist past.