BARACK SURGES, WHEELS COME OFF CLINTON MACHINE

"Do you really think Obama could win?" That seems to be the most common question people are asking me lately. The quick answer is "Yes", but let's not get ahead of ourselves. This is no time to rest on your laurels if your an Obama supporter. The political graveyard is littered with people who underestimated the Clintons. The "Comeback Kid" and his wife have lived through a avalanche of criticism and they are the most dangerous when wounded. However, in the past few weeks a lot of interesting things have happened that should delight Obama supporters. Not the least of these is his 8 consecutive wins! So, let's take a look at how I think things are panning out.

There can be no doubt that the Clinton's are shaken by Obama's wins. As positive evidence, Hillary has been cleaning house and the heads are rolling. She recently lost (fired, asked to leave, bowed out, stepped aside, whatever) both her Campaign Manager, Patti Solis Doyle and her Deputy Campaign Manager, Mike Henry. That's a sign of a campaign in trouble. Further evidence is that she's had to loan her own campaign money (even though she got it right back in a surge of contributions). But probably the biggest problem that she's having right now is that the spotlight is on the Superdelegates that she so counted on to secretly hand her the win. Thanks to exposure by bloggers and the internet, the DNC now finds itself in the precarious position of having to chose between backstabbing the Clintons (and remember, a lot of them owe their jobs to the Clintons) and risk getting caught with blood on their hands should Barack win the majority of the committed delegates but lose thanks to the Superdelegates. Handing the nomination over to someone who clearly lost the populous vote is going to have the Republicans screaming "hypocrite" after the tongue-lashing the Dems gave them over the 2000 election. How can any self-respecting Democrat allow this to happen? Already I'm hearing my Dem friends say that they will quit the Democratic Party if it does happen. I promise, if it does, I'll supply all of you with a list of the Democrat Superdelegates that pushed Hillary in so we can run them out of office one by one.

But will it happen?

My best guess is "no". I can't imagine the Democratic Party forming a circular firing squad when the other choice brings young voters into the fold and solidifies their stand not only with blacks but most likely with all minorities including the much sought-after Hispanic vote.

So does that mean Barack's in?

Not quite yet, the race isn't over and the DNC is not going to just hand the election over to Barack without a fight. There's still the issue of Michigan and Florida's disenfranchised delegates. (Don't say I didn't warn you!) The "uncommitted" delegates that they told you to vote for here in Michigan are Hillary's for the grabbing along with the committed delegates she got in her largely uncontested win. The Florida delegates are also likely to come into play even though Barack honored his pledge not to campaign there. I'm telling you folks; This is the most corrupt election process I've ever witnessed. In a desperate attempt to calm things down, the DNC is searching for other solutions. Such as having Michigan and Florida holding a caucus to replace the primary results. That has the Clintons in an uproar as they feel they stole those votes fair and square and know they won't come out as well the second time around. We'll have to wait and see on that one, but should Hillary be handed those votes, Obama supporters should take to the streets in civil protest.

Finally, there is still the issue of the Clinton media machine. Lately I've been seeing positive press coming out for Hillary all over the place. People like Diane Rhem from radio's NPR are fawning all over Hillary while questioning everything Barack does or says. Normally, a candidate would be hearing cries to step down by now if they were in Hillary's place. She had a disappointing showing in the Super Tuesday runoff (winning only 8 states to Baracks 13) and has been getting her butt kicked by nearly 2 to 1 margins every since. Yet, Barack's wins seem to be marginalized. The press doesn't seem to want to concede his acheivements. Michigan and Florida are always included in Hillary's wins (even though the delegates are removed) to make the match seem closer. Obama is also suffering from what I call "small font syndrome". Meaning that all his wins seem to be relegated to small font in the major newspapers while Hillary's are portrayed as major events in larger font. Also, I've noticed that the pictures of Barack don't show supporters or a happy candidate the way that Hillary's do. Just a coincidence? I don't believe it. Barack has been getting better press from Fox News or the Wall street Journal than by NPR, MSNBC, or ABC. That leads me to believe that Hillary has cranked up her media machine. To cover her tracks, she has even been accusing the press of being bias in favor of Barack. I find that laughable, but it provides cover for the press to do more pro-Hillary pieces and to attack Barack.

Counting Hillary out too early would be a big mistake and I think we all have to take a bigger role in complaining loudly that we will not accept bias and shady practice by our media. If you see it, e-mail your media and let them know how you feel. If you live in Michigan and Florida, tell the DNC you won't tolerate Hillary being handed those delegates she did not earn. Barack is sitting good but has to press on hard. He needs to focus on Ohio and Wisconsin and put the last shovels of dirt on Hillary's campaign. Remember, together we can end this family dynasty and the dual monarchy that threatens to end everything our country has stood for. H.C.