The DNC lawyers say that at this Saturday’s meeting the rules committee of the DNC can only seat half of the Michigan and Florida delegates. Hillary Clinton says she wants them all. There are several possible outcomes: 1) Clinton caves, accepts half the delegates and ends the race next week after the final primaries. 2) Obama and the DNC blink and give her all the delegates. She still trails in pledged delegates and still ends the race next week. 3) Obama and the DNC, not wanting to give up the principle of control of the primary calendar (or give Clinton a leg up on her “I really won the popular vote” argument) hold firm, but she insists on taking this all the way to the convention in August.

Given her unwillingness to attack Obama on any point of policy or on any gaffe over the last few weeks, I find it hard to imagine that she is now going to try to drag this out for two more months and bring him down (or hope some utterly unforeseen scandal or event intercedes). That leaves #1 or #2. It hardly matters which. There will be no stampede of superdelegates in her direction and the race will end. But she won’t have “quit,” which has been her point for some time now.

The endless primary will end, but we know the general election has already begun: John McCain is bashing Obama on his willingness to meet with Ahmajenidad but not General Petraues and the RNC is starting to count the days since Obama has been to Iraq.