After the nonsense this primary season, I can understand why Democrats across the board would want to diminish the importance of these folks.
From Wash Post:
Barack Obama’s campaign will call next week for the creation of a new commission to revise the rules for selecting a presidential nominee in 2012 with a goal of reducing the [...]

I don’t really understand this story by the AP.
Check it out…
WASHINGTON (AP) – Barack Obama has effectively clinched the Democratic presidential nomination, based on an Associated Press tally of convention delegates.
The tally put Obama over the top Tuesday, ahead of the results from the day’s final primaries in Montana and South Dakota. The Illinois senator [...]

A further sign that things are coalescing behind the Illinois senator?
From CNN:
Most of the seventeen Democratic senators who have remained uncommitted throughout the primaries will endorse Barack Obama for president this week, CNN has learned.
Sources familiar with discussions between Obama supporters and these senators tell CNN’s Gloria Borger that the senators will wait until after [...]

Chuck Todd discusses the end game…

I guess I was wrong before about 20 superdelegates. Looks like he needs 30 to 35 delegates to tie this thing up.
That doesn’t seem doable at this point. I’d be surprised if it happened.

By more than 2 to 1…
The cable networks called the island territory for Clinton the instant polls closed at 3:00 p.m., indicating a landslide; exit polls showed her winning virtually every group, including young voters typically loyal to nomination rival Barack Obama.
“I am overwhelmed by this vote today,” Clinton said in her victory speech. [...]

On C-Span.org…
On MSNBC!

(by the way, I wish C-SPAN allowed embedding and then replaced whatever live feed they had with the recording of that feed. That would be great for us political bloggers…hint hint…)
I’m watching Robert Wexler make the case for Obama right now. He’s doing a very good job…because he’s talking about the actual, you [...]

The numbers are starting to get a lot closer when you look at the different sources…
NY Times:
Obama – Pledged (1,656), Super (319.5), Total (1,975.5)
Clinton – Pledged (1,502), Super (274), Total (1,776)
50.5 for Obama to win, 250 for Clinton to win
CNN:
Obama – Pledged (1661), Super (317), Total (1,978)
Clinton – Pledged (1499), Super (281), Total (1,780)
48 for [...]

The last nail in Hillary’s coffin?
From TPM:
In what could potentially be a blow to Hillary’s electoral hopes, such as they are right now, the Democratic National Committee’s lawyers have declared that the Rules and Bylaws committee lacks the legal authority to seat the full Florida and Michigan delegations.
The DNC’s lawyers sent a memo late yesterday [...]

He apparently has a flood of them set for right after the last primary, so get ready folks…the tide’s a comin’!
From Marc Ambinder:
Neither the Clinton nor the Obama campaign is clear what the DNC’s rules and bylaws committee will do on May 31; depending upon how or whether they re-allocate delegates, Obama could wind up [...]

As always, there are many different totals, but Obama has been starting to rack up a lot more superdelegates in the last week and he’s very close to locking this up.
CNN:
Obama – Pledged (1660), Super (309), Total (1,969)
Clinton – Pledged (1500), Super (279), Total (1,779)
57 for Obama to win, 247 for Clinton to win
Real Clear [...]

Most sites seem to have a different number, but let’s look at several of them and see where we’re at in the race to 2,026.
Real Clear Politics
Obama – 1975, 51 to win
Clinton – 1775, 250 to win
Dem Con Watch
Obama – 1962, 64 to win
Clinton – 1780, 245 to win
CNN
Obama – 1962, 64 to win
Clinton – [...]

As I’ve noted yesterday, he’s been really racking them up lately, and depending on which news service you look at, he’s leading Hillary from anywhere between 26 and 16 supers.
Today, we have Guam Representative Madeleine Bordallo coming out for Obama:
“Today I have pledged my support as a superdelegate to Senator Barack Obama. Senator Obama offers [...]

Oh boy…she did not need this…
From Huff Post:
One of Sen. Hillary Clinton’s top financial supporters offered $1 million to the Young Democrats of America during a phone conversation in which he also pressed for the organization’s two uncommitted superdelegates to endorse the New York Democrat, a high-ranking official with YDA told The Huffington Post.
Haim Saban, [...]

I haven’t been keeping up with this very much lately so let’s go to the latest counts.
Politico
Obama – 296.5
Clinton – 270.5
Obama – +26
Real Clear Politics
Obama – 298
Clinton – 275
Obama – +23
Dem Con Watch
Obama – 298.5
Clinton – 276.5
Obama – +22
PBS
Obama – 299
Clinton – 278
Obama – +21
MSNBC
Obama – 293
Clinton – 277
Obama – +16
There are more, but I [...]

A smart move on the Illinois senator’s part.
From Politico:
At the heart of the bid to steer reporters from the he-will-declare-victory narrative is a recognition that Clinton, who trails by a historically small margin, claims millions of supporters who don’t want her unceremoniously pushed out of the race. And the Democratic party views its chances in [...]

By the way, I’m adding “Total Delegates Needed To Clinch” to the totals below because Obama is getting within 100.
First, Rep. Henry Waxman and Rep. Howard Berman of California…
Senator Obama’s vision for change has inspired tens of millions of Americans,” Chairman Waxman said. “And he’s also proved that he has the experience, judgment, integrity, [...]

With Childers’ win in Mississippi’s special election last night, another superdelegate has been added since all state representatives get a vote.
No word on who he’ll back, but Mississippi went really big (61% to 37%) for Obama.
By the way, Clinton and company have now revised their number to 2,210. I point this out only so [...]

They seem to come in pairs of two lately, don’t they?
DNC member Lena Taylor of Wisconsin…
State Sen. Lena Taylor from Milwaukee announced her support for Obama on Wednesday afternoon. Late Tuesday night University of Wisconsin-Madison student Awais Khaleel announced his endorsement for Obama on a YouTube video.
That makes 11 superdelegates in Wisconsin for Obama with [...]

College Democrats of America President Lauren Wolfe and Vice President Awais Khaleel endorse Obama today via YouTube:

However, since Wolfe is from Michigan, her vote will only count if the DNC comes to some sort of agreement with the state. That’s why I’m only adding 1 to Obama’s total below.
Post-Pennsylvania Delegate Pickups:
Obama – 56.5
Clinton – 14.5 [...]

First Rep. Pete Visclosky from Indiana…
The Merrillville Democrat becomes the seventh Indiana superdelegate to endorse Obama.
In a statement Wednesday, Visclosky says Obama “promises to bring Americans together.”
Visclosky represents much of northwestern Indiana, just over the border from Chicago, where Obama lives.
He also added Christine Schon Marques of the Democrats Abroad, who accounts for [...]