By Michael H. Cottman
Next week, some 20 Democratic superdelegates may announce their support for Sen. Barack Obama as he moves closer to becoming the first black Democratic presidential nominee in American history.
Word is a number of superdelegates are standing by because they don't want to give the impression that Obama is being disrespectful of Clinton and will wait until after June 3 to let the primary contests run its course.
Aides to Obama say after votes are tallied in Puerto Rico, South Dakota and Montana, that Obama -- who only needs 40 more delegates -- should have more than the required 2,026 delegates necessary to secure the Democratic nomination.
On Wednesday, Obama picked up four more superdelegates: Guam Senator and Democratic National Committeeman Ben C. Pangelina, Oregon Democratic Party Chairwoman Meredith Wood Smith, Colorado Democratic Party Chair Pat Waak, and Oregon Superdelegate Wayne Kinney.
An Obama insider told me the campaign looks forward to the "continued flow" of superdelegates that will be forthcoming.
To rally the troops around a struggling campaign, Clinton sent a letter to superdelegates Wednesday pleading for their support.
"At this point, we do not yet have a nominee - and when the last votes are cast on June 3, neither Senator Obama nor I will have secured the nomination," Clinton wrote in her letter. "It will be up to automatic delegates like you to help choose our party's nominee, and I would like to tell you why I believe I am the stronger candidate against Senator McCain and would be the best President and Commander in Chief."
On Saturday, the Democratic Party's rules committee will take up the throny issue of the stripped Michigan and Florida delegates and determine how the delegates should be divided. Clinton is counting on seating the delegates to overtake Obama.
Nobody truly understands Clinton's thinking when it comes to primary math. What's clear is that this effort is perhaps her last hope for winning the Democratic nomination. Even one of her most vocal supporters, Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell, is now saying Clinton doesn't have a chance of winning the nomination.
And Clinton may have work to do to repair racial rifts she's created along the way if she returns to the U.S. Senate.
According to The Los Angeles Times, Clinton has severely damaged her credibility in the black community as race has overshadowed much of the campaign.
"Even as she continues her longshot presidential bid, Hillary Rodham Clinton faces a political rift in New York, where black leaders say her standing has dropped due to racially charged comments by her and her husband during the campaign," the Times reported. "African American elected officials and clerics based in New York City say Clinton will need to defuse resentment over the campaign's racial overtones if she returns to New York as U.S. senator."
If that's not enough, there is also speculation that Clinton may want to run for governor of New York against David Paterson -- New York's first black governor. And even though this decision may be a year away, the suggestion is infuriating some black legislators today who say Clinton should not embark on a campaign against another popular black male candidate.
Meanwhile, sources close to the Clinton campaign say for the former First Lady is prepared to abandon her candidacy perhaps shortly after the June 3 primaries have ended if, as expected, a flood of superdelegates publicly pledge their support for Obama.
The question many are asking is whether Clinton will vigorously campaign for Obama or offer luke-warm public endorsements. Will she heal or hinder?
"In the end, I am committed to unifying this party," Clinton wrote in her letter. "What Senator Obama and I share is so much greater than our differences; and no matter who wins this nomination, I will do everything I can to bring us together and move us forward."
Only time will tell.
