We all appear to be still caught up in the passionate partisan politics of the primary season. While it still has a few weeks to play out, most bloggers and commentators seem to sense the end of the beginning or the beginning of the end.

What has really hit me over the last couple of days is Clinton should be the winner of this democratic primary. Looking at the best guesstimates of the final delegate and popular vote count, and barring a disaster for one of them, it will be fairly close. Factor in some agreement for FL and MI and it will be very close.
So looking at Clinton and Obama fighting it at to the finish line I have 4 observations;

1. She has been unlucky that Florida broke the rules. it would have been a good state for her. .

2. He has been very smart in getting every delegate he could out of caucus states. Call it playing the system or playing by the rules. Both are accurate
   
3. Her miscalculation that the primary would be over by Feb 5th was terrible. "Criminal" almost on the part of her team. But the buck stops with her.
   
4. Her consequent lack of organization in the following 10 states probably cost her the election. Yes he was demographically going to win most of them but she could, and should, have done better. WI for example.

Bad luck, arrogance and poor management will be the things that keep her awake at night. Her own mistakes, not Bill, or Obama, or young people, or latte chablis drinkers are the root of her problems. It will be close but I do not think the SDs will, or even want to, overturn his projected small delegate lead. This should have been so much easier for her. I feel sorry for her, to lose this due to mistakes she has made will hurt. The fight and detirmination she is showing now should have been invested into the earlier part of her campaign. Politics is cruel.

(An appeal more than a diary). This is an appeal for canvassing diaries. I wish I could write them myself, but as my particular part of the country was a Super Tuesday state all is quiet here. And before people suggest I get over to PA myself, I have a couple of young kids who would miss me (I hope).
I find these very personal, door to door, "clipboard gripped in my sweaty palm" diaries amazingly powerful. DKos has a few every week (pro Obama) and they are great reading. I think I have read a few on MyDD (1 or 2 about the Texas caususes?) that were pro Clinton but I haven't seen many recently.
I think they are a great insight into the campaigns and they usually don't get bogged down with the he said/she said crap. Please more pro Clinton canvassing diaries! I want to find out more! It gives us sad types a sense of a life beyond goodnight moon

I realize that these are tough times for Hillary supporters and DailyKos can't be much fun for you. However, as a lurker on both sites for the past few months I am compelled to write my first diary.

Many times now, I've read about the pros and cons for each candidate and, as has been said ad infinitum, I have concluded they are very similar on policy. I suspect most moderates like myself could live with either candidate. Particularly in light of the Republican alternative.

However there is one thing that Obama has done that has to be seen in a positive light for democrats; his mobilization, in a very efficient way, of motivated grassroot supporters. The kind of people who sat at home during the last 2 elections.

To my recollection, I have never seen anyone on MyDD praise this. Say what you need to about his policy positions and his style, but I cannot think of a reason all democrats wouldn't be thrilled and excited that people (not only young people) are getting out to register for a democratic candidate. The size of the democratic vote in all the primaries, the early voting figures from Texas have to be something for all democrats to celebrate. Of course, Hillary too deserves a huge amount of credit for this but the evidence is that newly registered voters tend to be Obama supporters.

Isn't anyone on MyDD excited by this? Are you still in a place where nothing Obama says, does or did can be a cause of celebration? These are exciting times and in a desire to see our candidate win we should surely be able to see the forest.