"Perfect Storm" Continues.........

As Hillary Clinton defeated Barak Obama last night in Pennsylvania the Republican Party can't help but be pleased to see a Democratic nomination race continue as the two candidates march on to another primary and another round of self-denigration.

"This is exactly what I was afraid was going to happen," said Gov. Phil Bredesen of Tennessee, a Democrat who has not endorsed anyone in the race. "They are going to just keep standing there and pounding each other and bloodying each other, and no one is winning. It underlines the need to find some way to bring this to conclusion."

Clinton got what she needed, (with a 55% to 45% ten point advantage), to continue her stance that she can win the "big" states necessary to win the electoral college votes in November. Clinton's problem, (and Obama's), is neither candidate appears to have the ability to convince the super-delegates to put an end to the race. As it stands right now, if either candidate gets the boot by the super-D's there will be just enough disenfranchisement in the general election to put John McCain in the White House. From today's New York Times:

"The results of the exit poll, conducted at 40 precincts across Pennsylvania by Edison/Mitofsky for the television networks and The Associated Press, also found stark evidence that Mr. Obama’s race could be a problem in the general election. Sixteen percent of white voters said race mattered in deciding who they voted for, and just 54 percent of those voters said they would support Mr. Obama in a general election; 27 percent of them said they would vote for Mr. McCain if Mr. Obama was the Democratic nominee, and 16 percent said they would not vote at all."

And from the Washington Post:

Gov. Edward G. Rendell, Clinton's top supporter in the state, described the victory at a post-election rally as an "earthquake" that would change the dynamic of the Democratic race. It came as a huge relief for Clinton aides, who say their only chance of an upset is to run off a string of triumphs.

Yet it was a relief for the Obama campaign, too. The senator from Illinois denied Clinton an overwhelming landslide in a state that played to her demographic strengths, with its many working-class, elderly and Catholic voters, and it put her back on uphill terrain. Obama continues to hold a huge financial advantage and a lead in pledged delegates that will be almost impossible for Clinton to surpass in the few contests that remain.

While all this is transpiring, the New York Times and the LA Times continue their own process of vetting McCain smear stories to see which ones will be worth re-publishing during the general election. So far, throwing mud on a military veteran that has far better national security and foreign policy credentials than the other two "cut 'n run" defeatist just doesn't seem to stick. Even the fragile economic concerns can not be shouldered completely by the Republican Administration when the Democratic Party will have been in control of the House and the Senate for almost two years by November. Pelosi and Reid have wasted too much time with over eight hundred over-sight hearings and surrender/retreat legislation to prove they can do the job they were elected to do, which was to solve the nations domestic ills. Instead, their partisan politics has destroyed much of their party's credibility. So much for the "new direction" promises the democrats made to the electorate that brought them into power. And now they have this "perfect storm" to deal with.

Raincoats and Popcorn required.

Update: The Dean 25 (credentials committee) is now kicking in the Michigan/Florida debacle into the "storm". This may be the makings for a hollywood script. Given the anti-war crap that flopped bigtime over the past year, the "producers" may have to give this a serious look.