The Democrats' Gambit

The Indiana and North Carolina primaries are much worse for Hillary Clinton than their prima facie significance. First, Sen. Clinton was only able to eek out a small margin of victory in Indiana despite demographics similar to Ohio and Pennsylvania and despite Obama still fighting off the lingering Jeremiah Wright controversy. Those who say that Obama might benefit from some neighborly celebrity haven't noticed Chicago television news cameras and helicopters holding vigil near the embattled pastor.

Second, let's be honest, Sen. Obama beat the spread in North Carolina, scoring a double-digit thumping with broad support across the state, including overwhelming African-American support.

Clinton, and more importantly the Democratic superdelegates, have a major strategic decision to make: How do we manage Hillary Clinton's departure from the nomination process? Whatever the final plan, here are a few key components for consideration.

1. Hillary is not going tot be the nominee. She and her supporters must come to believe that because it is the truth under current democratic party rules. 

2. Hillary is out of money and accumulating a sizable debt. She must continue the charade of campaigning to maintain the illusion that she is still accepting money for a future presidential bid. The fact is she is trying to payoff her loans to her own campaign.

3. After numerous promises to see the nomination process through, for her to resign from the contest at this point might prolong the acrimony between supporters of each of the democratic candidates. Democrats must quickly begin the process of reconciliation and doing anything to add fuel to the fire of the feeling that the nomination was not fairly earned.

4. Sen. Clinton, given the extent to which she has gone to attack, undermine, and cast doubt upon Sen. Obama, must go just as far to restore faith to the nominative process or she sacrifice all belief in the minds of others that Clintons' are only a member of any political party to the extent that it advances their ambition.

So here is the gambit: Democratic superdelegates are betting that they can sacrifice time against Sen. McCain to allow Hillary pay off some debts and hopefully make nice with the democratic base without losing substantial ground to the Republican nominee. This may be a riskier gamble than may appear at first blanch given the relative inexperience of the junior Illinois senator, as his recent gaffes may indicate.