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** EXCERPT ** Until recent weeks, one of the least understood aspects of the Democrats' primary contest was the role of superdelegates. These are Democratic Party insiders, members of Congress, and other officials who can cast ballots at the party's national convention this summer.But now these unelected delegates are coming in for a close inspection, because neither Hillary Clinton nor Barack Obama can win their party's nomination without superdelegate support. The big Pennsylvania primary on April 22, for example, has only 158 delegates at stake (each of them will be pledged to support one of the candidates). By comparison, there...

The Hillary and Bill Clinton scorched-earth strategy of laying waste to Obama, or his supporters like Bill Richardson, is going to backfire among those in the only constituency who can put Hillary in the saddle. The super delegates. These people are professional politicians, officials and operatives who are horrified that the Clintons et Co. are producing negative soundbytes which will become fodder for the McCain side come the real contest in the fall. But this should come as no surprise . The Clintons are being as cavalier with the reputation and credibility of their opponent and party as they were...

WASHINGTON -It is already easy to imagine the Republican attack ads against Barack Obama. They open with video of his wife, Michelle, saying she was proud of America "for the first time in my adult lifetime" because of her husband's presidential candidacy. Cut to the Illinois Senator explaining that he doesn't wear an American flag lapel pin because it is a "substitute for true patriotism." Then flash a clip of Obama explaining that his Caucasian grandmother was a "typical white person" because she uttered racial epithets and was afraid of black people. Finally, the coup de grace, pictures of Obama's...

In Denver. Denver is not equipped to handle any convention scenario other than a coronation, and certainly not the most (potentially) contentious national convention in 40 years. It is important to point out that the state of Colorado, and the city of Denver, is currently nearly completely controlled by Democrats at every level of government. This puts these locals in a box, politically and from a law enforcement standpoint. This sets up a scenario similar to Seattle 1999 WTO debacle. I happened to be living in downtown Seattle during that awful experience, and what stands out is that the city...

Where there are superdelegates there will be a Clinton. And that includes next weekend's state Democratic convention in San Jose. State Party Chair Art Torres said Friday that Bill Clinton has accepted his invitation to a private meeting with superdelegates and the ex-president also will speak to the entire convention Sunday morning. [snip] One prominent uncommitted California superdelegate, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, will address the state convention on Friday night. She is uncommitted because she holds the title of chair of the party's August convention in Denver. But recently she has made comments suggesting the leader in the...

Some 50 delegates were reportedly poised to unite behind Barack Obama if he had won by even 1 point in Texas. He lost the popular vote by 100,000 ballots, and now we learn that 100,000 Republicans voted for Hillary Clinton, probably not because of some change in party allegiance but because they thought she would be the easier candidate to beat. This kind of strategic voting often backfires (think Ralph Nader). The Texas crossovers are winners. By helping to prolong the Democratic race, they can claim credit for weakening the eventual nominee, whoever it turns out to be. Obama has...

One big fact has largely been lost in the recent coverage of the Democratic presidential race: Hillary Rodham Clinton has virtually no chance of winning. Her own campaign acknowledges there is no way that she will finish ahead in pledged delegates. That means the only way she wins is if Democratic superdelegates are ready to risk a backlash of historic proportions from the party’s most reliable constituency. Unless Clinton is able to at least win the primary popular vote — which also would take nothing less than an electoral miracle — and use that achievement to pressure superdelegates, she has...

Mr. Obama’s Philadelphia speech, in spite of its eloquent passages expressing his hope for better racial relations in America, is a mastery example of literary subterfuge, the broadening of the scenery whereby an object of inquiry becomes blurred and lost in the background, or more bluntly, the escaping of a slippery fish from a pond into a lake to hide in a wider expanse of water. His speech is essentially a sophisticated lawyerly defense of Rev Wright’s sin on the basis of self-defense. While Mr. Obama’s understanding on the root causes of America’s racial problems is quite apt, he attempts...

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Democrat Barack Obama suffered in the polls Thursday after a much-acclaimed speech on race that, pundits said, had failed to defuse voters' anger over rage-filled sermons by his former pastor. Waging an acrimonious battle against Hillary Clinton for the Democrats' White House nomination, Obama confessed to being bruised by the controversy surrounding his longtime Chicago preacher, Reverend Jeremiah Wright. "In some ways this controversy has actually shaken me up a little bit and gotten me back into remembering that, you know, the odds of me getting elected have always been lower than some of the other conventional...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Why doesn't the Democratic Party hold a primary among its superdelegates to reach a quick decision between Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton? That idea was proposed publicly Wednesday by Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen, because he believes Democratic chances in November will be hurt if the nominee isn't decided until the party's August convention. Bredesen himself is a superdelegate and undecided in the presidential race. The national convention will have almost 800 superdelegates — elected and party officials — whose votes for a presidential nominee are not bound by the results of any primary or caucus.

It’s one of those classic good news/bad news conundrums. On the plus side, Hillary Clinton finally picked up a superdelegate, ending a long drought over the last few weeks. Unfortunately, she also picked up a hefty side dish of pork, as well as an extra helping of defeatism: Rep. John P. Murtha has announced his endorsement of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, bringing his clout as a 17-term member of the House and a prominent anti-war Democrat to bear with more than a month until the primary here in his home state.“Sen. Clinton is the candidate that will forge a consensus...

I have been troubled by Former President Bill and Senator Hillary Clinton's "presumptuous" offer to Senator Barack Obama to serve as vice-president during her presidency. Her assumption is that she would be more electable by the public at large and become the nation's first female president. While we would be ecstatic to have Barack as vice president, all of this is totally ignoring the fact that he is clearly the Democratic frontrunner in the race. After listening to the Clintons, I had a chance to talk to my dear friend Rev. Art Forbes when he came by the office to...

(CBS) Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick said that he believed if Barack Obama goes into the Denver convention leading in the count of popular vote and pledged delegates, that he will have earned the support of superdelegates - and the nomination. “I think the superdelegates in the end will ratify the will of the people and the pledged delegates," Patrick, a Democrat, said. “He will have earned [the nomination], he will have earned it against a very entrenched and strong contender.” Appearing on Face The Nation, Patrick told host Bob Schieffer that he hoped the Democratic Party would not become divided...

March 16, 2008 For Democrats, Increased Fears of a Long Fight By ADAM NAGOURNEY and JEFF ZELENY WASHINGTON — Lacking a clear route to the selection of a Democratic presidential nominee, the party’s uncommitted superdelegates say they are growing increasingly concerned about the risks of a prolonged fight between Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama, and perplexed about how to resolve the conflict. Interviews with dozens of undecided superdelegates — the elected officials and party leaders who could hold the balance of power for the nomination — found them uncertain about who, if anyone, would step in to fill...

The movement appears subtle, but Gallup notices a shift away from Barack Obama over the past week. For the first time in the cycle, the split between John McCain and either Democrat has shown a different result — and now Hillary Clinton looks slightly stronger than her opponent in the general election. That may provide her with more ammunition for her argument to superdelegates to support her despite the popular vote and pledged delegate split: The latest Gallup Poll Daily tracking update on registered voters’ general election preferences for president finds that John McCain has opened up a slight advantage...

ABC News' Teddy Davis Reports: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told ABC News' George Stephanopoulos on Friday that it would be "harmful" to Democrats if superdelegates were to give the party's presidential nomination to a candidate who is trailing in the delegates awarded in primaries and caucuses. "If the votes of the superdelegates overturn what's happened in the elections," said Pelosi, "it would be harmful to the Democratic Party." Although Pelosi offered her assessment without directly referencing Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., her comments lend considerable support to the Illinois Democrat. Obama leads Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., in pledged delegates: 1,396 to...

WASHINGTON (AP) - House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is taking a stand on Democratic Party superdelegates that effectively gives a boost to Barack Obama. Without mentioning Obama or Hillary Clinton by name, Pelosi says it would be damaging to the party for its leaders to buck the will of convention delegates picked in primaries and caucuses. Pelosi's remarks seem to suggest she's prepared to cast her ballot at the Democratic convention in favor of the candidate who emerges from the primary season with the most pledged delegates. Barring a string of landslide victories by the former first lady in the remaining...

Hillary Clinton is not stupid. She knows perfectly well that she’s not going to catch up with Barack Obama when it comes to delegates or the overall popular vote in the primaries, and that her lead with superdelegates is not at all secure. She’s staying in the race to see what happens — to lengthen it so that there is a chance Obama will implode for some reason or combination of reasons, leaving her to pick up the pieces.When Hillary and her people talk about Obama’s lack of experience, they are not just talking about foreign policy and Washington voting....

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - Indiana's May primary will have meaning in the race for president. Both democratic candidates, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, have scheduled stops in the Hoosier state. It all starts on Saturday when Barack Obama holds a town hall meeting at Plainfield High School. "We're very excited. Senator Obama will...be in Plainfield tomorrow bringing his message of hope and change to the voters of Indiana because Indiana, for the first time in my adult life, is going to matter in the presidential primary season," said Obama campaign chairman Kip Tew. Indiana has 72 delegates up for grabs and...

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) reiterated her position Sunday that superdelegates should reflect the will of voters in the Democratic nominating process — a nod to Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), whose campaign is making the same case. “If the votes of the superdelegates overturn what happened in the elections, it would be harmful to the Democratic Party,” Pelosi said in a pretaped interview with ABC’s “This Week.” A pair of Obama surrogates made the same case. On CBS’s “Face the Nation,” Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick said, “I think the superdelegates, in the end, will ratify the will of the people...