Two Hillary campaign sources -- an adviser and a major donor -- have provided to me the argument that Hillary's advisers and pollsters are privately making to donors and supporters as to why it's too early to count her out of the race.

According to the adviser and donor, Hillary advisers are telling people -- when they're sounding optimistic tones designed to sooth jittery donors -- that the campaign's internal polling shows her up over five points in her key firewall states of Ohio and Texas.

"The lowest number I've heard from them is eight," the donor tells me. The campaign won't publicly discuss such numbers for fear of creating unrealistic expectations.

The adviser and donor tell me that the argument being made from inside is that if she can win both those states by between five and 10 points, she can at least begin to close Obama's lead in pledged delegates to within somewhat more manageable numbers.

The hope is threefold.

First, the hope is that such an outcome would put an end to Obama's winning streak and start the difficult task of turning the narrative of the race around (though it would leave her with a still-steep upward climb).

Second, the hope is that halving Obama's lead in pledged dels could make it at least conceivable that she can draw a good deal closer to Obama in overall delegates -- supers included -- in the following contests.

Third, Hillary advisers are hoping that narrowing the delegate count will enable the campaign to change the subject from a discussion over their need for super-delegates to a conversation about what's going to happen with the Michigan and Florida delegations. In an interview published today, Hillary herself reiterated that she'd make an aggressive push to get them seated.

"We're hoping she can ultimately tighten up the delegate race dramatically enough to shift the focus away from super-delegates and back to Michigan and Florida," the adviser tells me.

This, of course, is the best-case scenario being spun from inside; Obama is making gains in the polls -- and inroads into her core constituencies -- every day. And this isn't to say there isn't pessimism in the campaign.

Indeed, the donor tells me that he's frustrated that the campaign has failed to do more to stop the media from portraying her candidacy as doomed.

"There's a perception that's been building in the press, on cable and in print, that this is effectively over," the donor says. "They've got to get the message out that this is far from over."

A Hillary spokesperson didn't answer repeated request for comment.