Since Super Tuesday it has been pretty clear that Obama had an overwhelming advantage in the race for the Democratic nomination. The mass media would not acknowledge it, and Hillary Clinton certainly has not acknowledged it. With each succeeding contest, the odds go even further against her, yet she becomes even more set in her determination to fight to the end. I think, however, we have reached a tipping point in the last several days that will unequivocally settle the nomination BEFORE Pennsylvania.
The one thing Democratic Party leaders want more than anything else is a strong Democratic Party. There is self-interest involved - a strong party means they get to keep their jobs and have more power. Also, most genuinely want to undo the incredible damage done by the Bush administration. Many backed Hillary Clinton because they thought she had the best chance to win in November, and even if she lost, she was the most powerful Democrat in the running, so they wanted to continue to be in her good graces.
Two events in the last week or so convinced those party leaders that the Clinton campaign was no longer advancing the interests of the Party, but was in fact willing to sacrifice the Party for its own self-interest. First was the suggestion made by Clinton that McCain was ready to be Commander in Chief, but it was not clear that Obama was ready. The logic of that statement was that if the choice were between McCain and Obama, she would choose McCain. She was willing to throw the presumptive Democratic nominee under the bus for personal gain. The second event was the commentary by Clinton fundraiser and former VP nominee Geraldine Ferraro that the only reason Obama was so successful was because he was black. These comments were ten times worse than anything Bill Clinton said in South Carolina. Yet Hillary Clinton's disassociation with these comments was, at best, extremely weak.
The signal that these two events had convinced the Party that things had gotten way out of control is detailed in Kid Oakland's excellent diary: http://www.dailykos.com/... . Nancy Pelosi, who has officially remained neutral due to her position as Speaker of the House, issued a statement that it would be impossible for Obama to pick Clinton as his running mate due to Clinton's statement that Obama was not fit to be Commander in Chief. She made this statement almost immediately after Ferraro's comments.
Second, the mass media has finally picked up on the outrageousness of the Commander in Chief and Ferraro comments, to the point that Keith Olberman will even be issuing a special comment on the subject tomorrow. The stage is being set for superdelegates and Party elders to make a mass movement in the direction of Barack Obama in the coming days. They have already tried privately to convince Clinton that it is time to go. Since she can't take the hint, the only option left is to make it clear that the Party will back Obama without waiting for Pennsylvania. The Party cannot afford six more weeks of this internecine warfare and will not tolerate it. Clinton may or may not choose to go on, but the show of support by the Party leadership in the next week will make it clear to all that this thing is over. We have reached a tipping point.