If McCain wins this he is going to seal the deal and eventually go on to be the Republican nominee. If this happens we better not come out of our primaries with Hillary, unless we are BIG fans of losing (the presidency and Congress).

I agree. It is really amazing how little it is being considered, especially with a likely McCain win for the Republicans. I mean even IF Hillary was a slightly better candidate than Barack (which she definitely isn't in my opinion), it would seem to be common sense to still go for Obama in order to win, if it were fairly certain (which it is) that Hillary would lose to McCain. This is even more important given that the Republicans will use anti-Hillary sentiment to mobilize their voters and achieve record turnout, not only taking down Hillary, but taking down every Democrat trying to get elected (or reelected) to Congress in Red/Purple areas. Having her on the ticket will destroy our chances of taking back the presidency and our chances of increasing (or not losing Congress altogether) our control over Congress in 2008 (or 2010 at the latest, if we want to see a repeat of the 1994 Republican Revolution that crippled Bill's presidency.)

I think this definitely needs to be a concern, and the fact that people aren't really thinking ahead is quite scary. I guarantee the Republicans and just waiting for us to nominate Hillary and seal our own fate.

Not to mention, Obama is the better candidate in all respects, so he should win on that count too :P

I'd have to agree that Hillary supporters are being irresponsible by pretending all of this is taking place in a vacuum. They are viciously attacking our party's best candidate in decades, and the person who is our best chance at both winning and bringing this country together, all so the Clintons can continue their futile quest back to the White House. All of this will be for nothing though, because if the Clintons are successful in snaking through this primary in the end, it will just end with us losing to McCain, and losing our position in Congress. We'll be back where we were 2001-2006 and all of the attack ads and lies and veiled racism will have had absolutely no effect other than to divide our party, take down the person who would be the country's first black president, and to seal our party's place in history as the biggest bunch of losers. Seriously, if we can't win after 8 years of Bush and the Republicans ruining the country and the planet, when ARE we going to be able to win?

Heretic, the numbers may say that now, but you just can't overestimate the power of charisma, which cuts both ways here: Obama is incredibly charismatic, Hillary just the opposite. The press loathes Hillary. Drag this out over an election season and watch the mushy middle collapse away from Hillary just as it did for Kerry, issues be damned.

Obama might not win, but with Hillary we don't have a chance in hell.

Many of us here are going to cross over and vote for Romney. It's the way we do it here. He is the only one who is running ads against the other Republicans. If he wins, then the Republican field will continue to be a mess. We do not want McCain. He would be harder to beat.

Consider this ticket: Clinton/Obama

It would be a real winner.

Hillary is not your enemy.

Clinton/Obama in '08!!!!!

Hillary is not your enemy. Many women want to vote for a woman in their lifetime. More women vote than men. Don't be so negative about Hillary. She is darn smart and a Clinton/Obama ticket would be very hard to beat!

Think about it.

Like the Clintons would want to go anywhere near the person who has jeopardized their "divine right" to be the democratic nominee and retake the White House. Give me a break, there is no way in hell, do you know anything about the Clintons at all?

And do you think Obama would want to team up with Hillary after this disgustingly dirty campaign she has run against him? Could you be the right hand of someone who had spread lies about you for months and done everything they could do destroy your credibility and your image? Hell no. I'm not even the target of the Clinton machine and I'm so disgusted with their slimy "win at all costs" character that I wouldn't vote for her in a hundred years. I know many people feel the same way. They are NOT GOOD PEOPLE, and some of us have principles.

So no, there will never be a Clinton/Obama ticket, or an Obama/Clinton ticket. It will never happen. And Clinton is the enemy for any Democrat who wants to actually have a shot at winning the presidential election and who wants to win more seats in Congress instead of losing big. She is the Democratic party's greatest liability, and the fact that so many people can't see it does not bode well for our chances of survival.

I can't disagree with your concerns about Obama, Joe, but I also can't agree that Hillary has much chance of beating McCain. Based on all I've seen over the past few national elections, and what decides them, she's about the worst possible candidate you could find if you tried.

Having basic likability, charisma, and the ability to laugh off stupid attacks and make the attackers look stupid, which Obama has shown himself capable of, is so much of the game. He may not win, but he has a pretty good shot.

I just wish the rest of the left blogosphere were as savvy as those on this list. Of COURSE HRC would be creamed by McCain; it is the only repub-dem contest that consistently goes repub. Say what you will about polls, there is at least always consistency on this one. If it were McCain-Obama, then McCain's age becomes an issue; the youth vote comes out as it did for Iowa; and McCain no longer has a corner on the "maverick" market, as he certainly would against HRC. It really seems our only chance.

My great fear is that McCain chooses Lieberman. Yesterday's WSJ editorial is just a taste of the inevitable campaign to come: the surge was a great success, an eternal presence in Iraq, etc.

I wonder why people think Romney's on the ropes. He's had two second place finishes (IA and NH) and one first place finish (WY). If he wins MI he'll have two first place finishes and two second place finishes. McCain barely won third in IA, Huckabee was a distant third in NH. I think a win for Romney in MI will slow the nationwide McMentum. I think the Republican race is very fluid. Romney is dipping nationally because his finishes have been spun against him. But once he gets a more publicized win (i.e., not ignored, like WY), his numbers will go up.

OK, but Eric, some realpolitik: Edwards is not going to take any state before or on super Tuesday. Or course one can hope and will things to be different but we seem to be in the realm of the improbable here.

I know this is heresy -- and I have to note that ideologically I am certainly closer to Edwards but for that matter I am even closer to DK -- but I do wonder what would happen if Edwards would bow out after Nevada and SC. I am even starting to think that ethically it is encumbent upon him to do so.

As crazy as this sounds, it is looking more and more like Iraq will be something of a second-tier issue in this year's campaign. I know, I know...but hear me out.

When's the last time you heard the top Dem candidates rail on that issue? All we hear is "Change Change Change". What's more, the economy is going in to the absolute toilet and will probably be THE paramount issue by this fall when we will officially be 2 quarters in to a recession.

The media is reporting a warm fuzzy from Iraq ("The surge is working") and the weekend talking heads are so wrapped up in the election nuances that Iraq is fading somewhat from the thoughts of our A.D.D society.

In that case the election will be about issues and not necessarily about McCain's strong defense background or Obama's theme of togetherness. I believe that Hillary and her surrogates are sensing this so they are using words like "fairy tale" to contrast their position.

I could be wrong but that's where I see this election headed.