Apropos Jay's column this morning, ABC News reports Bill Clinton is imploring West Virginia voters to turn out on Tuesday:

"You have to realize that if you show up in enough numbers, and your neighbors in Kentucky do, and we have a good run through the rest of these states," asserted Clinton, "We gotta have your help and get the largest number of people to show up on election day. See all this stuff you are hearing about is an attempt to discourage you. That's what this is, pure and simple, hoping, well, Hillary can get eighty percent of the vote in West Virginia, and if only 100,000 people show up it is not enough. But if 600,000 people show up, and you say we want a president than you will see the earth move. You can do it."

Meanwhile another poll came out today showing Clinton with a 40+ lead in West Virginia.

Bill also also made his case to the supers and pushed back against the media stampede to declare Hillary dead and buried:

"She can win the popular vote, she is clearly the most electable according to all the national polls, and between now and August, the superdelegates are gonna have to think long and hard about how badly they want to win. If she is clearly the most electable with positions that people have finally focused on, the real difference I think is, I think she has got a real shot at this and let me just tell you something, all those folks who are telling you on television that she can't win - they weren't for her in the beginning," said Clinton.

The supers are moving against her slowly, but if Clinton hangs in there through next Tuesday (which she undoubtedly will) and West Virginia Democrats turn out in big numbers and put the hurt on Obama, it'll be interesting to see whether the pundits rethink the "it's over" theme or whether they simply dismiss her win as inconsequential and/or too little, too late.

UPDATE: Make that four more. In addition to the two superdelegates below, the Obama campaign has won the endorsements of Hawaii Rep. Mazie Hirono and Laurie Weahkee, a New Mexico superdelegate and lead organizer for the Native American Voters Alliance.

The Obama campaign announced this afternoon the endorsement of two more superdelegates: California DNC Member Ed Espinoza and Wilber Lee Jeffcoat, the South Carolina Democratic Party vice chair.

The four endorsements give Obama a total of seven superdelegate endorsements today.

Clinton picked up one superdelegate today: Pennsylvania Rep. Chris Carney.

Ted Kennedy told Al Hunt on Bloomberg TV he doesn't see the dream ticket coming to pass:

MR. HUNT: What's your view of an Obama-Clinton ticket?

SEN. KENNEDY: I don't think it's possible.

MR. HUNT: You don't. And what type of vice president choice do you think he should make? What type of person?

SEN. KENNEDY: Well, the first is always a demand that you're going to have someone that's going to be able to assume the responsibility. I would hope that he would also give consideration to somebody that has - is in tune with his appeal for the nobler aspirations of the American people. And I think if we had real leadership - as we do with Barack Obama - in the number-two spot as well, it'd be enormously helpful.

Whether Kennedy meant it this way or not, I'm sure many will read that last part as an indictment against Hillary Clinton for not offering "real leadership."

New television ad, title "Level:"

Says Obama is "presumptive nominee." Who's going to argue with Rahmbo? Not me.

Set aside the he-said, she-said aspect to the McCain-didn't-vote-for-Bush-in-2000 story for a second to savor the flawless irony of Arianna Huffington telling the New York Times that "she chose to speak out now because she felt Mr. McCain had abandoned his principles."

This is a woman who jettisoned her principles and raced across the ideological spectrum from one extreme to the other faster than a six-legged cheetah.

I have to recall, as I did a few years ago when she ran for Governor of California, Ed Rollins' searing description of Arianna from his 1996 memoir, "Bare Knuckles and Back Rooms," where he recounted his experience managing Michael Huffington's 1994 Senate run:

Since early July, I'd been working for two of the most unprincipled political creatures I'd ever encountered. One was such a complete cipher he gave empty suits a bad name. But his wife was even worse - a domineering Greek Rasputin determined to ride her husband's wealth to political glory at any cost....

Arianna Huffington had charmed me out of my socks to get me to manage her husband's campaign. But in a few short months, I'd come to realize that she was the most ruthless, unscrupulous, and ambitious person I'd met in thirty years in national politics - not to mention that she sometimes seemed truly pathological.

You have to hand it to her, though, the ambition and the transformation have paid off handsomely. The further left Arianna has gone, the more success she's had (in a way not totally dissimilar from Ann Coulter on the right), and in just a few short years she's become a doyenne of progressives.

Fox News's "Fox and Friends"

Geraldo Rivera, on Bill Clinton's outburst during his recent campaign speech: "He's right. Hillary Clinton tried her best to pass universal health care. She was filibusted and ridiculed. But that's not the issue. The issue is the demeanor of the former president in a contentious environment with the days dwindling down to a precious few. Clearly he was ticked in a way that was barely controllable, barely presidential, but very husbandly."

On Hillary Clinton's comments on her support among white voters: "Why not say working, or blue collar, or rural, or Reagan Democrats. There are so many different euphamistic ways to make the point, which is true. No one doubts the truth. ... Clearly there is a racial and unavoidable divide. ... But to say it that way, in that blunt, and in some ways wrong way, can only exasperate..."

MSNBC's "Morning Joe"

John Edwards, asked if who he voted for in the N.C. primary is who he'll endorse: "I'd say highly likely, yes." Asked for whom he voted for: "For now, to myself. Because right now it feels like the right thing to do. People on television act like these endorsements are a big deal. I may have missed something, but I think Barack Obama is doing pretty well without my endorsement." Asked if he and his wife voted for the same person: "Oh, I'm not answering that."

Asked if he was holding out on endorsing so he could be a broker that brings the primary process to an end: "That is an absurd concept. The notion that a failed presidential candidate has that kind of power. ... It's true that I have enormous respect for both of them. I do. ...[Obama] is clearly the likely nominee at this point."

On Clinton continuing to argue that Obama is not electable: "I think that they've been in a tough fight. And it's hard to change, to move off of that. I think about when I made the decision to get out of the race. ... It became pretty clear to me that I was not going to be the nominee. And I believed that since it looked like I wasn't going to win, number one, and number two, I believed that it was better for the process to end sooner rather than later, that I was not being helpful to our party or to our cause."

More on Clinton: "To have to get up today, under these circumstances, and go out there and face the media and face crowds and continue to make your case -- that takes a strength and toughness that is amazing. You can't help but admire it. However you criticize her for the specifics of what she's contending, that takes a strength that is admirable. ... But because she plays such an important role in the future of this country, and as a result the future of the world, she does have to ask herself, 'Where are the lines; at what point am I not advocating for myself, instead I'm doing damage for the cause I care about.'" (Video)

Wall Street Journal's Peggy Noonan, on her column today: "I think Mrs. Clinton crossed a serious line, in the USA Today newspaper yesterday. She said essentially, 'I've got white voters.' I thought that was so startling. An Obama sympathizer got on the phone with me and said, 'Even Richard Nixon ... in the Southern strategy didn't say white.'"

Pat Buchanan, responding to Noonan: "What we seem to be saying is, it's verboten for her to say what everybody else is talking about. And maybe she shouldn't have said it, but frankly..." Noonan: "Pat, it's verboten for a great leader of a great nation to speak of the nation in such slice-and-dice, tear-'em-up kind of way. That's not how you keep everybody together. ... You know, you don't say, 'I got the Irish.' It's vulgar."

ABC's "Good Morning America"

George Stephanopoulos on Obama taking the lead in super delegates for the first time: "That means he leads in every important metric...he is consolidating this victory, moving toward unifying the party. They've got a new strategy they're starting to implement today where they're playing down the race against Senator Clinton and playing up the general election against John McCain."

On news of a potential Hillary Clinton VP slot: "Lots of very quiet waltzing with intermediaries...this would be the end of the end game if this were finally to come to pass."

Check the video here

NBC's "Today"

John Edwards on whether Clinton can still win: "I think she's made a very strong case for her candidacy, the problem she has is its very difficult to make the math work."

On whether Jeremiah Wright will hurt Obama in the general election, "Most Americans are fair minded, they're not going to blame Barack Obama for what someone else said."

(Greg Bobrinskoy contributed to the Morning Roundup)

Woodrow Wilson's ancestral home in Northern Ireland was nearly burned to the ground, but was saved in the nick of time by superdelegates firefighters .

Leno is feeling inspired by Hillary:

Letterman cracks that Hillary has a substantial lead in at least one state:

Vito Fosella, adding to the embarrassment of being busted for drunk driving last week:

Representative Vito J. Fossella, the Staten Island Republican who was arrested on drunken-driving charges in Virginia last week, acknowledged on Thursday that he had fathered a daughter, now 3, in an extramarital affair. But he declined to address questions about his political future.

Reid had an advance on this story yesterday, as well as a look at Fosella's district should he decide to retire - which is looking more likely with each passing news cycle.

A good start to the day in the super department for Mr. Obama:

DeFazio throws support to Obama On Thursday night, Rep. Peter DeFazio became Oregon's third Democratic congressman to endorse Sen.Barack Obama, putting the Illinois politician one delegate closer to the presidential nomination.

Congressman Payne, NJ superdelegate, switches from Clinton to Obama
Rep. Donald Payne (D-10th Dist.), a New Jersey superdelegate who had been supporting Hillary Clinton for president, has switched his allegiance to Barack Obama.

"After careful consideration, I have reached the conclusion that Barack Obama can best bring about the change that our country so desperately wants and needs," Payne told The Star-Ledger for today's editions. It was "one of the most difficult decisions I have made," Payne said. "I've really been mulling it over for quite a while."

Overall, Obama is closing in on Clinton in the super delegate department, though Dan Balz writes today not to expect Clinton to exit the race until they've all declared. And even then, of course, they can always change their minds right up until the first ballot in Denver.

Mark Salter fires off a memo this evening slamming Obama for his choice of words today and his "new brand of politics:"

To: Interested Parties

From: Mark Salter, Senior Advisor

Date: May 8, 2008

Re: Senator Obama's Attack Today

First, let us be clear about the nature of Senator Obama's attack today: He used the words 'losing his bearings' intentionally, a not particularly clever way of raising John McCain's age as an issue. This is typical of the Obama style of campaigning.

We have all become familiar with Senator Obama's new brand of politics. First, you demand civility from your opponent, then you attack him, distort his record and send out surrogates to question his integrity. It is called hypocrisy, and it is the oldest kind of politics there is.

It is important to focus on what Senator Obama is attempting to do here: He is trying desperately to delegitimize the discussion of issues that raise legitimate questions about his judgment and preparedness to be President of the United States.

Through their actions and words, Senator Obama and his supporters have made clear that ANY criticism on ANY issue -- from his desire to raise taxes on millions of small investors to his radical plans to sit down face-to-face with Iranian President Ahmadinejad -- constitute negative, personal attacks.

Senator Obama is hopeful that the media will continue to form a protective barrier around him, declaring serious limits to the questions, discussion and debate in this race.

Senator Obama has good reason to think this plan will succeed, as serious journalists have written of the need for 'de-tox' to cure 'swooning' over Senator Obama, and others have admitted to losing their objectivity while with him on the campaign trail.

Today, Senator Obama is complaining about comments John McCain made about a senior Hamas advisor stating that Hamas would welcome Senator Obama's election as president. Indeed, on April 13th, senior Hamas political advisor Ahmed Yousef said, 'We don't mind -- actually we like Mr. Obama. We hope he will (win) the election and I do believe he is like John Kennedy, great man with great principle, and he has a vision to change America to make it in a position to lead the world community but not with domination and arrogance.'

The McCain campaign has never suggested that Senator Obama supports Hamas' agenda, but it is more than fair to raise this quote about Senator Obama because it speaks to the policy implications of his judgment.

Just today, the president of Iran, whom Senator Obama wants to meet with unconditionally, called the state of Israel a 'stinking corpse.' Iran is the paymaster and state sponsor of Hamas.

In his victory speech this week, Senator Obama stated that 'wisdom' is meeting with our enemies, including Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, North Korea's Kim Jong Il, Venezuela's Hugo Chavez and Cuba's Raul Castro. John McCain couldn't disagree more. Rather than giving tyrants and dictators the prestige of meeting with an American president, John McCain will instead meet with the champions of human freedom around the world and opposition leaders fighting for liberty .

We understand why Senator Obama doesn't want to engage in a debate over leadership and judgment with John McCain, but the American people demand that debate take place.

These are serious times that call for a serious debate on the profound issues facing our future. John McCain is ready for that debate and we hope Senator Obama will one day get serious and join it.

Obama spokesman Bill Burton fired right back with this response to the "McCain Campaign Rant:"

"Clearly losing one's bearings has no relation to age, given this bizarre rant that Mark Salter just sent out. It's clear why a candidate offering a third term of George Bush's disastrous economic policies and failed strategy in Iraq would want to distract and attack, but it's not the kind of campaign John McCain has promised the American people that he would run."

Preview to a testy general election, to be sure.

A very cautious discussion about whether Obama is the "presumptive nominee:"

North Carolina Rep. Brad Miller announced today he's endorsing Obama for president. Obama carried Miller's Raleigh-based 13th District with 63% of the vote in Tuesday's primary.

In a press release, Miller stated: "If Senator Obama and Democratic candidates up and down the ticket win this year and then deliver next year, we can build a consensus that will last a generation."

Fellow North Carolina Rep. Heath Shuler endorsed Clinton yesterday, a day after she carried his Asheville-based 11th District with 55% of the vote.

UPDATE: Washington Rep. Rick Larsen announced this afternoon his endorsement of Obama. This gives Obama five of the state's 17 superdelegates, with six still uncommitted. Obama carried every county in the state in its February 9 caucus.

It's about - what else? - Florida and Michigan:

May 8, 2008

Senator Barack Obama

Obama for America

P.O. Box 8102

Chicago, IL 60680

Dear Senator Obama,

This has been an historic and exciting campaign. Millions of new voters have been brought into the process and their enthusiasm for the Democratic Party and the principles for which you and I have fought and continue to fight is unprecedented.

One of the foremost principles of our party is that citizens be allowed to vote and that those votes be counted. That principle is not currently being applied to the nearly 2.5 million people who voted in primaries in Florida and Michigan. Whoever emerges as the Democratic nominee will be hamstrung in the general election if a fair and quick resolution is not reached that ensures that the voices of these voters are heard. Our commitment now to this goal could be the difference between winning and losing in November.

I have consistently said that the votes cast in Florida and Michigan in January should be counted. We cannot ignore the fact that the people in those states took the time to be a part of this process and to make their preferences known. When efforts were untaken by leaders in those states to hold revotes to ensure that they had a voice in selecting our nominee, I supported those efforts. In Michigan, I supported a legislative effort to hold a revote that the Democratic National Committee said was in complete compliance with the party's rules. You did not support those efforts and your supporters in Michigan publically opposed them. In Florida a number of revote options were proposed. I am not aware of any that you supported. In 2000, the Republicans won an election by successfully opposing a fair counting of votes in Florida. As Democrats, we must reject any proposals that would do the same.

Your commitment to the voters of these states must be clearly stated and your support for a fair and quick resolution must be clearly demonstrated.

I am asking you to join me in working with representatives from Florida and Michigan and the Democratic National Committee to arrive at a solution that honors the votes of the millions of people who went to the polls in Florida and Michigan. It is not enough to simply seat their representatives at the convention in Denver. The people of these great states, like the people who have voted and are to vote in other states, must have a voice in selecting our party's nominee.

Sincerely,

Hillary Rodham Clinton

After being arrested for driving while intoxicated, New York Congressman Vito Fossella may have a difficult time sticking around, and he could be preparing to announce he will not seek re-election as early as today, the Washington Post's Sleuth writes. Add another headache for beleaguered House Republicans: Fossella's Staten Island district is prime swing territory.

Busted a week ago after running a red light in Alexandria, just outside Washington, Fossella's troubles have only mounted in recent days. After originally telling officers he was on the way to take his daughter to the hospital, Fossella later said he was simply going to visit friends, at 12:15 a.m. He was later sprung from jail by a retired Air Force Lieutenant Colonel, Laura Fay, whose house is just a few miles from where Fossella was pulled over.

Fay divorced, according to The Sleuth, with no children, though she now has a young daughter. The congressman's lead communications expert, who has widely been described as a crisis communicator, has refused to answer questions about whether the girl is Fossella's daughter. Fossella and his wife have three children.

Republican insiders are buzzing at the possibility that Fossella will announce his plans to retire after this Congress, and if he does, the National Republican Congressional Committee will have to add another prime Democratic target to their list of seats to defend. Fossella already trailed in fundraising, with just $248,000 in the bank at the end of March compared with New York City Councilman Domenic Recchia's $325,000, and was likely to face a tough race.

Fossella beat attorney Steve Harrison, who will face Recchia in the state's primary, by a fourteen-point margin in 2006, and his winning percentages have decreased since peaking at 70% in 2002. The district voted for Al Gore over President Bush by eight points in 2000, but favored Bush by ten points in 2004 after his response to the September 11 terrorist attacks.

Democrats may consider a candidate other than Harrison, who has limited fundraising abilities, and Recchia, who represents a city council district in Brooklyn, where the Congressional district takes in just a small piece. But the party has for several cycles coveted the last remaining Republican seat that touches any part of New York City, and should Fossella vacate the position, he will give them their best chance to date.

Former Michigan Rep. David Bonior announced today his support for Barack Obama. Bonior had served as John Edwards's national campaign chairman, before the former senator suspended his campaign. Winning the support of Bonior could provide a major boost for Obama, as Bonior is a close ally of labor unions, who historically have provided crucial votes for Democratic presidential candidates.

In a conference call with reporters this morning, Bonior put this election in historical context.

"This is a fundamental, watershed year in American politics," he said. "It's like '32; it's like 1960, when Kennedy was president. It brings that kind of passion and change of direction, and [Obama] is a person who can deliver that direction and is in the right spot because his message is about fundamental change. I think it works well for him and it portends well, not only for his candidacy, but for the country's future."

Largely on the basis of George Stephanopoulos' sources, ABC is reporting intermediaries from the Obama and Clinton campaigns are discussing the formation of a dream ticket with Hillary as veep. While the logic of trying to assuage Clinton's base and unify the party is understandable, I've never understood how or why people think this would work.

In many ways, putting Clinton on the ticket would be a disaster for the Obama brand. How is he going to "change our politics" if he chooses as his running mate a woman (and her husband - it's always a 2 for 1, remember?) who personifies exactly the kind of politics he's trying to change? It's antithetical to the rationale of his entire campaign.

And even if the move helps bring home a percent or two more Democrats this fall who might have otherwise defected, putting Clinton on the ticket would almost certainly hurt Obama's appeal among Independents. It could easily work out to be a wash for Obama - or worse - especially since McCain will be competing hard for those same centrist voters this fall.

So despite all the talk, I don't see it happening. But if we've learned anything this political season, it's that anything is possible.

Gallup says Obama's support with white voters is similar to Kerry's. But is comparing Obama's support from a poll in early May, before a single shot has been fired in the general election, with Kerry's support from the exit polls of the 2004 race really apples to apples? It's perfectly possible Obama will meet or exceed Kerry's support among white voters in 2004. It's also possible he won't. Therein lies the point: six months before the election this seems like a nearly meaningless comparison.

Fox News's "Fox and Friends"

Debbie Dingell, on Michigan delegates being seated: "With all due respect to President Carter, he's wrong. He's one of the people that's made Iowa, a small state that does not reflect the diversity of this country, and given it too much importance. And quite frankly, it's he and Iowa and New Hampshire that Michigan is challenging. That's what this fight has been about. This primary season is what every primary season should be about. ... Michigan and Florida need to be seated, the candidate in November is running in 50 states, and we need to get this resolved."

Larry Sabato, on when Clinton could drop out: "You want to go out a winner. So look at the schedule that's left, we've got six primaries left. She's guaranteed to win three, and she's going to win them big: West Virginia, Kentucky and Puerto Rico. ... On May 20 you have both Kentucky and Oregon. She's going to lose Oregon, she's going to win Kentucky. If I had to pick a night, it would be that night, or the next day."

MSNBC's "Morning Joe"

Tucker Carlson, on Joe Scarborough saying the media is "loving" Obama: "It's more than love. It's the kind of love that anybody who's been a 9th grade boy understands this species of love. Do you know what I mean? It's red in the face. I think about you when I go to bed. Too embarrassed to stand up. It's sealed-with-a-kiss love."

Howard Wolfson, on yesterday and today: "Look, we've had worse days. Senator Clinton has had worse days. And if tough newspaper headlines made her give up, she would've given up a long time ago. We've been counted out so many times by the pundits that I can't even count. We're going to go to West Virginia. That's what we're going to do."

ABC's "Good Morning America"

Wolfson on why Clinton does not drop out of the race: "We've got a lot of fight left in us...we take the campaign into West Virginia, I think we can narrow the gap." Wolfson continued to press the importance of Michigan and Florida, "I think the impact of not having two and a half million people to not have their voices heard at our convention would be significant."

"Senator Obama has consistently had a very hard time winning the key swing states...Clinton is running ahead of Obama against John McCain in those key swing states", which he said is weighing heavily on super delegates.

Watch video of Wolfson here.

George Stephanopoulos appeared after Wolfson to analyze his remarks: "Howard's making the best case for Clinton. On Michigan and Florida, the problem is that the Dem National Committee simply does not agree, without Florida and Michigan there's no realistic path to the nomination."

"Another significant problem is money, campaign debt is far higher than 10 million dollars, could be even double that...It's pretty clear there are more super delegates out there who support Obama than Clinton." On Clinton's chances of being tapped as Obama's running mate: "I think Sen. Clinton would like to accept."

NBC's "TODAY"
Cindy McCain: "What you're going to see is a great debate...none of this negative stuff will come out of our side...my opponent is opposed to any negative campaigning at all." She talked about wanting to bring the troops home, as her son was there, but defended the cause and reasons for continuing to fight. Saying she will not ever release her tax returns, she said, "My husband and I have been married for 28 years, this is a private issue...I'm not a candidate."

CBS's "EARLY SHOW"
Terry McAuliffe on Clinton staying in the race: "She's in this campaign and God Bless her for doing it. I think her supporters like it that she's supporting her own campaign. This is about winning this Nov. 4, she can bring people back to the Democratic party."

(Greg Bobrinskoy contributed to the Morning Roundup)

Hillary Clinton's biggest problem right now isn't her lack of money, and it isn't that undecided superdelegates will suddenly move against her. Indeed, yesterday was notable for the fact that so few superdelegates declared, and that multiple Democratic party bigwigs went public saying Hillary has every right to stay in the race and shouldn't necessarily get out just yet.

The biggest threat to Clinton's candidacy right now is the media, and the instant (and almost universally accepted) conventional wisdom among the pundit class that it's over. Yesterday Clinton suffered through a barrage of political obituaries, from talking head heavyweights like Tim Russert and George Stephanopoulos to opinion columnists from across the political spectrum.

That assault continues today with editorials from the Los Angeles Times (Clinton Can't Win), Boston Globe (Clinton Doubles Down....Why?), the Philadelphia Inquirer (Clinton Campaign Running in Place), Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (End Game: It's Time For Superdelegates to Speak Out), and the Chicago Sun-Times (Face It, Hillary: It's Over), and biting columns from George Will, Nick Kristof, Rosa Brooks, and Mike Lupica, to name just a few. (UPDATE: As you can see, the new cover of Time Magazine isn't helping matters for Clinton either.)

Equally as damaging are the wave of editorials and columns that cast her out of the picture and look ahead to the general election: Washington Post (Obama Moves On), Dan Henninger (Obama vs. McCain: Let's Get it On), Karl Rove (It's Obama, Warts and All), etc.

I could go on, but you get the point: the pressure is intense, the CW nearly set in stone. To continue Clinton has to somehow manage to withstand the former and defy the latter, which, needless to say, is a very tall order.

Leno and Letterman get their first whacks in after Tuesday's primary result:

Letterman:

Leno:

Part I:

Part II:

In a conference call with reporters, the Obama campaign focused on the relatively small number of pledged delegates they need to win the majority, and had five of Obama's top elected supporters arguing his case for electability.

Campaign manager David Plouffe said Obama is now just 33 pledged delegates away from winning a majority, and predicted confidently that they would reach that plateau May 20, when Oregon and Kentucky hold primaries. Plouffe noted that Obama has led Clinton by a two-to-one margin among superdelegate endorsements since the Pennsylvania primary, and said the campaign would continue to make the case to superdelegates that Obama is the strongest candidate.

On the call, Sens. John Kerry, Claire McCaskill and Amy Klobuchar, and Govs. Janet Napolitano and Deval Patrick, noted Obama's strengths and argued his case for being the strongest nominee. Here are excerpts from their statements:

-Kerry (D-Mass.): "Despite the toughest weeks of his campaign...he beat every poll and beat every single expectation. That's significant."
-McCaskill (D-Mo.): "Obama squared off against the electability argument, and he won."
-Napolitano (D-Ariz.): "It's time for the superdelegates to start bringing this process to a close and announce their preference."
-Patrick (D-Mass.): "Democrats are on fire in this country, and Barack Obama has a lot to do with that."
-Klobuchar (D-Minn.): "He did well last night precisely by connecting with middle-class voters." Klobuchar also noted Obama's big wins in Republican districts in Minnesota, and argued that he would help Democratic House candidates around the country.

Plouffe also reiterated that the number of total delegates needed to secure the nomination is 2,025, not the figure the Clinton campaign has been touting recently -- 2,209 -- which would include the delegates from Michigan and Florida. On seating the delegates from those states, Plouffe said he hoped "there would be a solution that satisfies all parties."

Clinton-backer George McGovern tells his candidate it's time to call it quits:

After watching the returns from the North Carolina and Indiana primaries Tuesday night, McGovern said Wednesday it's virtually impossible for Clinton to win the nomination. The 1972 Democratic presidential nominee said he had a call in to former President Clinton to tell him of the decision, adding that he remains close friends with the Clintons.

"I will hold them in affection and admiration all of my days," he said of the Clintons.

McGovern's announcement comes a day before Clinton was scheduled to travel to South Dakota to campaign. The state holds its primary June 3 with 15 pledged delegates at stake.

McGovern said he had no regrets about endorsing Hillary Clinton months ago, even before the Iowa caucuses.

"She has run a valiant campaign. And she will remain an influential voice in the American future," he said.

But Obama has won the nomination "by any practical test" and is very close to a majority of the pledged delegates, said McGovern, who is 85. Obama moved within 200 delegates of clinching the nomination with his split decision on Tuesday of a win in North Carolina and a narrow loss in Indiana.

Kos has a copy of a memo from Obama campaign manager David Plouffe to Democratic superdelegates:

TO: Superdelegates

FROM: David Plouffe, Campaign Manager

RE: An Update on the Race for Delegates

DA: May 7, 2008

There are only six contests remaining in the Democratic primary calendar and only 217 pledged delegates left to be awarded. Only 7 percent of the pledged delegates remain on the table. There are 260 remaining undeclared superdelegates, for a total of 477 delegates left to be awarded.

With North Carolina and Indiana complete, Barack Obama only needs 172 total delegates to capture the Democratic nomination. This is only 36% of the total remaining delegates.

Conversely, Senator Clinton needs 326 delegates to reach the Democratic nomination, which represents a startling 68% of the remaining delegates.

With the Clinton path to the nomination getting even narrower, we expect new and wildly creative scenarios to emerge in the coming days. While those scenarios may be entertaining, they are not legitimate and will not be considered legitimate by this campaign or its millions of supporters, volunteers, and donors.

We believe it is exceedingly unlikely Senator Clinton will overtake our lead in the popular vote and in fact lost ground on that measure last night. However, the popular vote is a deeply flawed and illegitimate metric for deciding the nominee - since each campaign based their strategy on the acquisition of delegates. More importantly, the rules of the nomination are predicated on delegates, not popular vote.

Just as the Presidential election in November will be decided by the electoral college, not popular vote, the Democratic nomination is decided by delegates.

If we believed the popular vote was somehow the key measurement, we would have campaigned much more intensively in our home state of Illinois and in all the other populous states, in the pursuit of larger raw vote totals. But it is not the key measurement. We played by the rules, set by you, the DNC members, and campaigned as hard as we could, in as many places as we could, to acquire delegates. Essentially, the popular vote is not much better as a metric than basing the nominee on which candidate raised more money, has more volunteers, contacted more voters, or is taller.

The Clinton campaign was very clear about their own strategy until the numbers become too ominous for them. They were like a broken record , repeating ad nauseum that this nomination race is about delegates. Now, the word delegate has disappeared from their vocabulary, in an attempt to change the rules and create an alternative reality.

We want to be clear - we believe that the winner of a majority of pledged delegates will and should be the nominee of our party. And we estimate that after the Oregon and Kentucky primaries on May 20, we will have won a majority of the overall pledged delegates According to a recent news report, by even their most optimistic estimates the Clinton Campaign expects to trail by more than 100 pledged delegates and will then ask the superdelegates to overturn the will of the voters.

But of course superdelegates are free to and have been utilizing their own criteria for deciding who our nominee should be. Many are deciding on the basis of electability, a favorite Clinton refrain. And if you look at the numbers, during a period where the Clinton campaign has been making an increasingly strident pitch on electability, it is clear their argument is failing miserably with superdelegates.

Since February 5, the Obama campaign has netted 107 superdelegates, and the Clinton campaign only 21. Since the Pennsylvania primary, much of it during the challenging Rev. Wright period, we have netted 24 and the Clinton campaign 17.

At some point - we would argue that time is now - this ceases to be a theoretical exercise about how superdelegates view electability. The reality of the preferences in the last several weeks offer a clear guide of how strongly superdelegates feel Senator Obama will perform in November, both in building a winning campaign for the presidency as well as providing the best electoral climate across the country for all Democratic candidates.

It is important to note that Senator Obama leads Senator Clinton in superdelegate endorsements among Governors, United States Senators and members of the House of Representatives. These elected officials all have a keen sense for who our strongest nominee will be in November.

It is only among DNC members where Senator Clinton holds a lead, which has been rapidly dwindling.

As we head into the final days of the campaign, we just wanted to be clear with you as a party leader, who will be instrumental in making the final decision of who our nominee will be, how we view the race at this point.

Senator Obama, our campaign and our supporters believe pledged delegates is the most legitimate metric for determining how this race has unfolded. It is simply the ratification of the DNC rules - your rules - which we built this campaign and our strategy around.

The Clinton campaign held a conference call with reporters this morning and made clear what their argument will be moving forward in their quest for votes and undecided superdelegates.

Clinton communications director Howard Wolfson said the campaign would continue to make the case that Clinton has a better chance than Obama of defeating McCain in November, evidenced, he said, by her strong support among potential swing voters and states -- specifically blue collar voters in states like Ohio and Pennsylvania. Wolfson said that Clinton will be meeting with undecided superdelegates today in Washington.

Wolfson also said the campaign will continue to push for the seating of delegates from Michigan and Florida, that as of now, will not be allowed to vote at the Democratic Convention in August.

On Clinton's close win in Indiana, chief strategist Geoff Garin called it a "great accomplishment" due to the influence of the Chicago media market, and said it "was an outcome about which we feel really good." Garin said the campaign's internal polling as recently as two weeks ago had Clinton behind by 8 points.

"These were two states we were supposed to lose, and we won one of them," Wolfson said, noting the Obama campaign's leaked strategy memo that showed they felt Indiana was a state they should win.

"It was the first time really in this race," Garin said, "that Senator Clinton has come from behind to get a primary victory."

Fox News's "Fox and Friends"

Karl Rove on Obama's win in North Carolina: "He had a big victory last night. ... On the other hand, he won because of the dynamics of the state. There's a state that has 35 percent African American population, probably closer to 40 percent in terms of those that voted. And his vote among [blue collar], working-class people is terrible. He basically got a quarter and a third in the two states. ... It's a very big problem for him. The industrial Midwest -- from Pennsylvania through Wisconsin -- becomes in play if he's the nominee."

On the downside to Clinton staying in the race: "I'm not certain there's a downside if she remains in, and he has a tone that he had last night. ... They continue the dialogue, they continue to dominate, and he gets to be a better candidate. Part of this process is to make yourself a better candidate, and he has become a better candidate than he was at the beginning."

Mitt Romney: "The Democrats remain bitterly divided. At the same time, the Republicans have come together, we have our nominee, we're all working for him hard. And the number one issue that you heard from the exit polls is the economy. ... I think Senator McCain is in a good position."

MSNBC's "Morning Joe"

Clinton communications director Howard Wolfson: "Senator Obama predicted victories in both these states. People forget that. ... Given that, I think our results in Indiana was strong and impressive. We had a good showing there. It was a state we were not supposed to win in. We were outspent dramatically. A quarter of the state got its media from Illinois. ...And we won despite all that."

On the polls predicting a larger win for Clinton in Indiana: "Some of these public polls have just gotten it wrong."

"I don't think there's any question that we're going to have to have a pretty good month here between now and the last contest on June 3. And it starts next week in West Virginia. Polls have us up there. I don't know if we're going to believe those. ... We're going to need points up on the board, no question about it."

On Clinton's interest being Obama's running-mate: "I have no sense that she is. And what she's said is that it's premature to have any conversation or speculation about that."

Tim Russert on what now: "There were reports last night that she had loaned her campaign more money. ... Let's go to West Virginia next Tuesday. She's going to win -- probably by 20 points. But the following week is an interesting situation. Kentucky and Oregon. They both could win that night, and Obama would have a majority of the elected delegates. It's kind of a perfect scenario to say, 'Let's both leave at the top of our games. You won. I won. Can we now come together.' Look for superdelegates, the undeclared ones, to start gravitating rather quickly. Who wants to be 2,025? You don't want to be 2,026, because then we don't need you."

"The Obama people have to be careful, part of them were saying to themselves last night, 'We'd like to pick off a few of Clinton's superdelegates and bring them over to our side.' But if you make things too ugly, you got to be careful because in the end, you need Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton on that stage all holding your hand saying, 'we're united.'"

"One thing I found yesterday in one of the papers: August 28, Thursday night at the Democratic convention, the night the nominee accepts the nomination of the party, is the 40th anniversary of Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech."

NBC's "TODAY"
Russert on why he thinks the race is over and Obama has won: "I cannot find an objective Democrat who does not think this race is over...they'll continue to try to go on but it's going to be choreographed...the obstacles she confronts in terms of the delegate count are just overwhelming and they know that...Last night emails from Democrats who are very loyal to Hillary Clinton saying 'We can't do it.'"

ABC's "Good Morning America"
George Stephanopoulos on whether the headlines are right and Hillary is done: "Yes. Toast. Hillary needs a miracle. This nomination fight is over. Barack Obama has a lead that can't be overcome in pledged delegates, he's brought back his popular vote lead by another 200,000 votes. The only way for Clinton to catch him would be to get Florida and Michigan included, that's not going to happen and what you're going to start to see in the coming days, as early as today, more super delegates will come out for Barack Obama...and this nomination will be wrapped up." Said Obama gave his "strongest speech he's given since Iowa in January."

CBS's "EARLY SHOW"
Jeff Greenfield: "Trying to figure out how she stays in the race gets really hard...Who is going to talk to Clinton assuming she needs talking to...the lack of what was supposed to happen last night happened...I think it's going to be difficult for Clinton to raise more money...it's going to be a hard case to make to say give money to this campaign...I think there's going to be increased pressure for her to drop out now."

Bob Schieffer: "This race is over, the question is does this demolition derby go on, the longer it goes the wider the Democratic Party divide...you're going to see a real run to see these super delegates come out and support Obama..."

(Greg Bobrinskoy contributed to the Morning Roundup)

1:10AM - With 99% of precincts reporting, FOX, NBC and CNN call Indiana for Clinton. - KYLE TRYGSTAD

12:59AM - Here is video of Clinton's speech.

12:42AM - With 95% of precincts reporting, Clinton still leads 51%-49%, with less than 17,000 votes separating the two candidates. - KYLE TRYGSTAD

12:25AM - FNC reports that 6,000 absentee ballots in Lake County will not be counted tonight, meaning it will most likely be "tomorrow" before we know who's won. - KYLE TRYGSTAD

11:49PM - Obama's apparent 14-point win in N.C. continues his run of big wins in the Deep South and Tidewater states. Obama's winning margins in the following states: Louisiana, +22%; Mississippi, +25%; Alabama, +14%; Georgia, +35%; South Carolina, +29%; North Carolina, +14%; Virginia, +28%; D.C. +52%; Maryland, +25%; Delaware, +11%. - KYLE TRYGSTAD

11:46PM - It's now a 2-point game (less than 20,000 votes separate Clinton and Obama), with 9% of precincts left to report. Could this be any more suspenseful? - KYLE TRYGSTAD

11:30PM - The question of when Lake County's votes will come in still looms. It's been reported that the county should report by midnight. - KYLE TRYGSTAD

10:54PM - Clinton, answering the question many people were wondering about: "Now it's on to West Virginia, Kentucky, Oregon, and all the other states..." - KYLE TRYGSTAD

10:40PM - Clinton, in opening of her speech: "Well, tonight, we've come from behind, broken the tie, and now it's on to the White House. ... I need your help to continue our journey. ... We can only keep winning if we keep competing." Clinton then asks supporters to go to her website and contribute. - KYLE TRYGSTAD

10:38PM - Clinton is finally stepping to the podium to speak, with 15% of precincts still to report, including all of Lake County. - KYLE TRYGSTAD

10:35PM - Obama is up roughly 180,000 votes in North Carolina and down about 40,000 in Indiana, though it appears he'll close the gap in Indiana when the votes in Lake County come in. Overall, then, if his margin holds in North Carolina, Obama will wipe out 80% of the popular vote gain Clinton received from Pennsylvania two weeks ago. - TOM BEVAN

10:23PM - Here is video of Obama's victory speech in Raleigh, N.C..

10:15PM - Still waiting for Clinton to speak. Perhaps she's waiting for a definitive answer on Indiana which, as Kyle just noted in his last post, could very well be slipping away as the final votes come in. Obviously, losing both states tonight would be significantly worse than a split decision, but after suffering a substantial defeat in North Carolina, a one to three point win in Indiana will be of little consolation to Clinton. - TOM BEVAN

10:00PM - FNC's Barone said it would be possible for Obama to pull out a win with a 60%-40% win in Gary's Lake County, which has yet to report its votes. - KYLE TRYGSTAD

9:50PM - Clinton, though trailing in pledged delegates, has been riding a wave of momentum coming off a strong win in Pennsylvania. But this long night -- a big loss in N.C. and close call in Indiana -- will clearly weaken her wave. Obama has been creeping up on Clinton in superdelegates, now trailing her by just 15 superdelegates. Clinton needed a quick call in Indiana. She now leads by just 4 points with 78% of precincts reporting, and a large number of votes still to come in. - KYLE TRYGSTAD

9:27PM - Clinton currently leads Indiana by 4 points, with 72% of precincts reporting. - KYLE TRYGSTAD

9:15PM - Obama, speaking in Raleigh, congratulates Clinton "on what appears to be a victory for her in Indiana." - KYLE TRYGSTAD

9:07PM - Still no calls for Clinton in Indiana, other than CBS News. Obama is doubling Clinton's vote in Indianapolis's Marion County. There are still two-thirds of the vote to come in Hamilton County to the north of Marion, only 9% are in in Indiana U.'s Monroe County, and still no votes in Lake County. - KYLE TRYGSTAD

8:48PM - Obama's strong win in N.C. is thanks in large part to the Research Triangle -- the Raleigh/Durham area. Obama currently has 64% in Raleigh's Wake County, 74% in Durham County, and 70% in Chapel Hill's Orange County. - KYLE TRYGSTAD

8:31PM - CBS News is calling Indiana for Clinton, but networks still say it's too early. Fox News's Michael Barone says the network still is not 99.6% sure, with Lake County -- the second largest county in the state -- still not reporting, and only 50% of the precincts in the state reporting. - KYLE TRYGSTAD

8:24PM - Some polls stayed open an hour late in the Northwest part of Indiana as precincts ran out of Democratic ballots. It's only effecting a few precincts, but expect Gary's Lake County to trickle in late, as Kyle wrote earlier. - REID WILSON

8:17PM - Monroe County, with Bloomington and its Indiana University, is another county that has yet to report many votes. Like Lake County, it's crucial to Obama's chances. - KYLE TRYGSTAD

8:10PM - The reason it's still too early or close to call in Indiana is because we still have not seen returns from Evansville's Vanderburgh County in the southwest, Gary's Lake County in the northwest, and the populous Hamilton County in the northern suburbs of Indianapolis. Obama's numbers currently are not looking good in the Indy suburbs to the east and south. - KYLE TRYGSTAD

8:04PM - Down-ballot races to watch tonight: North Carolina Democrats are picking Senate and gubernatorial nominees tonight, and Tar Heel Republicans are choosing their own governor hopeful. State Senator Kay Hagan looks like the favorite to take on Republican incumbent Senator Elizabeth Dole in November, while Democratic Lieutenant Governor Beverly Perdue is locked in a tight battle with Treasurer Richard Moore. On the GOP side, Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory is battling State Senator Fred Smith in hopes of taking back the governor's mansion for their party for the first time since 1993.

In Indiana, Democrats Jill Long Thompson and Jim Schellinger are fighting over who gets to take on incumbent Republican Governor Mitch Daniels. Polls show Thompson edging out Schellinger, but a large number of voters remain undecided. - REID WILSON

7:35PM - According to the exits, white Democrats (42% of the electorate today) went for Clinton 62 to 35 and white Independents (16% of electorate) 53 to 40. As expected, Obama cleaned up among black Democrats (31% of the electorate), beating Clinton by a 92 to 6 margin. - TOM BEVAN

7:30PM - All nets project Obama to win NC - TOM BEVAN

7:28PM - Fun fact (according to CNN exits): 26% of those who said Clinton was not honest or trustworthy still voted for her. It makes you wonder what they thought of Obama. - KYLE TRYGSTAD

7:12PM - Operation Chaos update: according to the exits, Republicans accounted for 11% of the vote in Indiana and they went for Clinton over Obama 53 to 45. - TOM BEVAN

7:11PM - According to the recent poll by Ann Selzer for the Indy Star, Obama can afford to lose the rural counties of Indiana by 2-to-1 margins, as long as he wins the urban and suburban counties by about 13 to 14 points. Such outcomes would likely bring Obama a 3-point victory, according to the poll. It's still too early to tell how each are performing, but as the votes start coming in a little faster now, the margins in the rural and suburban counties will be quite telling. - KYLE TRYGSTAD

7:05PM - Exits from CNN. Of note: of the 46% of voters who said Rev. Wright was an important issue to them, 72% went for Clinton. Of the 51% who said it wasn't important, Obama won 67% to Clinton's 33%. - TOM BEVAN

7:00PM - FOX, CNN, and MSNBC say Indiana too close early to call. - TOM BEVAN

6:52PM - Will Clinton get her breakthrough tonight? Initial numbers don't look promising but, again, the final vote could be different than the exits we're seeing now. A split decision looks like the most likely outcome, and if that's the case then the margins will matter. A 10-point Clinton win in Indiana coupled with a 5-point loss in North Carolina can obviously be spun much differently than the opposite: a 5-point win in Indiana and a 10-point loss in North Carolina.

To the extent Clinton can survive tonight, she can extend the contest and keep alive questions about Obama's ability to appeal to working class white voters in the general election with what looks like a huge victory in waiting next Tuesday in West Virginia. As Jay wrote this morning, the sheer size of her victory there could be the surprise story, and with no other primaries and nothing else to talk about, the media will again recycle the storyline about Obama's inability to connect with culturally conservative downscale Democrats. - TOM BEVAN

6:30PM - More exit poll insanity here. - TOM BEVAN

6:28PM - Drudge blaring headline, 'Hillary's 'Double Dream Dashed: Exits Show Easy Obama Win in NC." But the initial exits have consistently shown Obama overperforming the final result. Best to wait until the votes get counted. - TOM BEVAN

6:25PM - Here are your early exits. - TOM BEVAN

It probably won't be known until November whether this prolonged Democratic primary process is hurting the party. But with political participation at record highs around the country, it can't be all bad.

Indiana Democratic Party Chairman Dan Parker believes the long primary season has been beneficial, according to the Indianapolis Star's Matthew Tully.

"From a party building standpoint, this has just been fantastic," Parker said.

Parker pointed to a dramatic increase in voter registrations, the heavy turnout expected today and the "record amount of money" state Democrats were able to raise at their Jefferson-Jackson Day dinner Sunday. (Sens. Clinton and Obama both spoke at that event.) He also talked about the valuable experience Indiana Democrats gained by working side-by-side with the presidential campaigns.

Of course, the primary has also divided many Democrats. And the presidential contest has overshadowed the party's gubernatorial primary between Jim Schellinger and Jill Long Thompson.

Reid Wilson has more on the overshadowed governor's primary at Politics Nation.

In SurveyUSA's last Indiana poll before today's primary decides the state's 72 pledged delegates, Clinton leads Obama by 12 points. In the four SurveyUSA polls taken in Indiana since the end of March, Clinton's lead never fell below 9 points, and Obama never took more than 43%.

Clinton 54 (+2 vs. last poll, April 25-27)
Obama 42 (-1)
Und 11

Clinton leads by 5.0 points in the RCP Average for Indiana