Clear and Clearer

Though the book indicting major administration figures by a former Bush press secretary has taken the media wind out of the Dem Rules committee meeting Saturday, there is still news about it. Principally that the committee's lawyers have given their legal opinion that by rule no more than half the Michigan and Florida delegates can be seated, no matter how they are divided among the candidates. Though the Clintonistas are arrogantly demanding that the party violate its own rules and decisions (the decision to not seat the delegates at all once had the support of all the Clinton supporters on the relevant committee), it's almost certainly not going to happen.

The questions that remain are who gets how many delegates, and whether to allow these states their full slate of super-delegates. But no one now believes that the decision will affect the outcome, and Obama will remain ahead in delegates.

While the Obama campaign has called on its supporters not to demonstrate outside the committee meeting, the Clintonistas are organizing their protests. But Marc Ambinder says "this will almost certainly backfire and wind up steeling the committee's spine."

Count Tim Russert of NBC--as close to an establishment voice as there is in the media now--among those saying that the race will be over Wednesday, June 4.

There is a new Puerto Rico poll that has Clinton at 51% and Obama at 38%, although half said they may not vote. With those percentages, Obama would get at least 24 of the 55 elected delegates, but if Obama does a few points better and it's 49-40%, it would be considered a victory in the expectations game.

Wednesday Obama picked up 4 super-delegates. The Obamagic Number: 45.

Looking forward to the general election, this AP story that says "Barack Obama has done poorly in the Democratic primaries with women, Catholics and others who will be pivotal in this fall's presidential election. Yet early polling shows that with several of these groups, he's competitive when matched against Republican John McCain."

And this analysis that says Obama is already ahead of McCain in enough electoral votes to win the presidency, but this is likely his baseline--he has the potential to win big.