If the Obama campaign believes, very reasonably, that he is virtually assured of the nomination, the time is now to agree to seat the Florida and Michigan delegations.

It is time for Obama and his supporters to realize that NOT seating Florida and Michigan hurts him in terms of unifying the Party and in terms of the general election in Florida especially.

The time is right Senator Obama, agree to the seating of the Florida and Michigan delegations.

By Big Tent Democrat

Comments now closed.

William Earl Lynd was executed in Georgia last night.

Lynd's execution at 7:51 p.m. was the first since the court ruled April 16 that the three-drug protocol most commonly used in executions by states and the federal government did not constitute cruel and unusual punishment.

Last week, a former death row inmate was freed in North Carolina. The Death Penalty Information Center reports:

Around the country, the 129th person was recently freed from death row in North Carolina. Levon Jones was exonerated after his conviction was overturned because of inadequate representation. The state's star witness has also recanted her testimony implicating Jones. The District Attorney dismissed all charges against him on May 3. Jones is the sixth person to be freed from death row in the past 12 months, the eighth person from North Carolina, and the 3rd from North Carolina since December 2007. The last four inmates who have been freed from death row in the U.S. are black.

The New York Times reports questions of fairness remain.

I noticed a lot of drug warriors on tv yesterday talking about a bust in San Diego. I'm not sure why that's such big news. What should be news is this drug war outrage in Arkansas.

Some have learned a lesson:

There's clearly an effort not to appear to be forcing Clinton out of the race and Rep. James Clyburn -- formally uncommitted, but recently critical of the Clintons -- said on MSNBC this morning that it's "absolutely not" time for her to drop out.

Good for Clyburn.

By Big Tent Democrat

I didn't hear John McCain's speech on judges yesterday, but Andrew Cohen at the Washington Post's Bench Conference and Ann Althouse provide their views.

Would McCain stack the court with right wing ideologues? Of course he would. There's no better reason, other than the war in Iraq, to make sure he doesn't win in November.

Update: 11:12 pm Comments now closed.

What are Hillary's options? The AP reports she lent her campaign another $6 million last month and George McGovern today called for her to drop out.

Hillary is campaigning in West Virginia today. The Boston Globe reports/p>

Her senior aides told reporters in a conference call this morning that her win in Indiana, however narrow, allows her to go forward.

Update: On CNN just now, Superdelegate David Parker from North Carolina said he's saying uncommitted. Taylor Marsh live-blogged the Clinton press conference today.

She fights on:

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton vowed to fight on, heading early Wednesday for a new round of speeches, rallies and town meetings in West Virginia, which holds its primary on May 13.

She is putting up her own money:

Mrs. Clinton has lent her campaign more than $6 million over the last month, according to campaign officials. She did so, they said, in three installments: $5 million on April 11, $1 million on May 1, and $425,000 on May 5.

It has been said by some none too bright people that it is up to the losing candidate to unify the Party. This is simply balderdash. It is almost certain that Obama will be the nominee. He needs to unify the Party. His blog supporters are silly so one need not consider them too much. But people like Donna Brazile can do him great harm. Her performance last night was proof positive that she should be shooed off the stage by the Democratic Party:

Last one. I'm going to bed.

Commnts now closed.

Whatever she feels is right. She has earned that.

My own view is she should run her campaign against John McCain. She will win West Virginia and Kentucky by huge margins.

She might even challenge Obama in Oregon.

What she should not do, imo, is run against Barack Obama. If there is a path to the nomination for her, and I doubt there is, it won't come from attacking Obama now.

My two cents.

By Big Tent Democrat, speaking for me only

Here's an open thread on tonight's election results. My thoughts are expressed in the title.

Shame on the Mayor of Gary, Indiana for withholding the vote results until after midnight, ET.

Class Act of the night: Mayor Tom McDermott of Hammond, Indiana.

CNN says seniors brought it home for Hillary all by themselves in Indiana. 69% of them voted for her. They made the difference, and they vote in much greater numbers than younger voters.

Comments over 200, thread closed, I'll clean it of chatterers and insulters tomorrow.

Update: CNN finally calls Indiana for Hillary. 51 to 49% with 99% in. A win is a win, tonight is a split decision between NOrth Carolina and Indiana. John King says it will be roughtly a 50/50 split of the delegates.

****

Late Night Drama in Indiana

Update: Obama won't win Indiana. 98% of Lake County is in, the later votes are for Hillary, it's 65% to 55%. She's still 21,000 votes ahead statewide. 5% of the state is still out, but CNN says Hillary will squeak by in Indiana. More...

Update: Obama has 65% of Lake County, Hillary 35%. John King says 17,000 vote difference statewide between them and Obama could win. 44% of Lake County is in, 95% of statewide vote.

Mayor of Hammond says every Mayor in Lake County except the Mayor of Gary endorsed Hillary.

Update: Wow. The Mayor of Hammond, also in Lake County, just said on Larry King Live that Hillary won Hammond by 600 votes and they turned the votes in at 6:30 and Lake County didn't release the votes. The votes they are releasing now are from Gary. They also failed to report the votes of four other cities in the county that she won. He says the mayors know the results and don't know why Lake County refused to release the vote count.

Here are the cities and towns in Lake County. Obama did well in the machine vote in Gary, Merriville and East Chicago. Hillary won Hammond Whiting, Schererville, Crown Point and some of the suburban cities in the southern part of the county. More...