We need a nominee

It's by now well established that, with a lead in delegates, popular vote, and number of states won, Barack Obama's path to nomination is a lot easier than Clinton's. But, with Clinton having decided to stay in the race despite Obama's difficult-to-surmount lead, it looks like the fight could continue over months. Until we have a nominee, it's difficult for independent expenditure campaigns to gear up in support of the nominee. And since Clinton's clearest path to the nomination would be to destroy Obama, and given the recent race-baiting coming from people associated with the Clinton campaign, a continuing nomination battle could become poisonous very quickly.

Not only could the race-baiting and the dissing of states that voted for Obama create a civil war in the party, a superdelegate-driven Clinton nomination could kill her chances in the general. According to a USA Today/Gallup poll:

A majority of Democratic voters say it would be unfair for Hillary Rodham Clinton to win the presidential nomination through the support of "super delegates" if she lags among the convention delegates elected in primaries and caucuses, according to a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll.

If that happens, one in five say they wouldn't vote for the New York senator in the general election.

The findings in the survey, taken Friday through Sunday, underscore some of the perils ahead for Democrats as the closely fought nomination battle between Clinton and Illinois Sen. Barack Obama continues.

By 55%-37%, Democrats and independents who "lean" Democratic say an outcome in which Clinton lost among pledged delegates but prevailed with the help of super delegates would be "flawed" and unfair" — including 77% of Obama supporters and 28% of Clinton supporters.

As we've detailed practically ad infinitum, the math is such that this is the only way Clinton could be nominated at this point. And yet while the traditional media started ignoring Mike Huckabee as soon as the math made a John McCain nomination basically inevitable - despite Huckabee continuing to win some states - that same media is trying to spin this one out. Clinton may not be willing to admit that it's over, and the media may enjoy perpetuating the fight, but others shouldn't be so reticent. To prevent tearing the Democratic party apart and destroying a chance for a historic election, we need to be done with this.

With that in mind, what Steve Benen said:

"Every day that this continues, people can surmise that this is going to the convention in Colorado and it could be decided by the superdelegates," said Gov. Joe Manchin III of West Virginia, the head of the Democratic Governors Association. "There is not a superdelegate that I have spoken to who wants that to happen."

They’re in luck. These superdelegates — and, in all likelihood, only these superdelegates — can prevent this. One candidate is going to enter the convention with more delegates, more states, and probably more popular votes. If superdelegates find that compelling, fine, back Obama. If they find other factors more compelling, fine, back Clinton.

But for superdelegates to sit around, wringing their hands, wanting the process to end while hoping for someone else to ease their burden of choice, is foolish. Like it or not, this is up to them. What are they waiting for?