Skipper

With Obama on 1,840 delegates to Clinton's 1,684 and leading in Oregon (but trailing in Kentucky), not to mention the near universal commentariat consensus that Obama has won it, it seems Hillary's determination to continue the contest is quixotic in the extreme. Why is she doing it? An admixture of reasons I think:

1. She is no quitter. Like her husband she believes in fighting to the last gasp and is ever optimistic that victory will reward her efforts. Once the 'Comeback Kid' always the same kid.

2. She's hoping that maybe Barrack's campaign might get suddenly derailed and that she'll be the deserving beneficiary- though I doubt if her own campaign will be quite so ad hominem from now on. Maybe she's accepted the chances are that Obama will win it.

3. She wants to extract something from this extended Sisyphian struggle and playing the game to the end will maximize her chances. Quite possibly now she's after the Vice Presidency; Obama has actually accepted in public that she would be well qualified for such a position.

4. Being the VP would be a terrible comedown but it would at least entrench the Clintons back in the White House. Who knows, she may hope that Chelsea might opt for a career in politics after being so active and effective in Mom's campaign.

5. This last reason should not really be articulated but it already has by some. Obama might win his way into power, but given the redneck, cracker, plain crazy nature of many marginal American social sub-sets, the chances of him being assassinated by one of their number must be high enough for some bookies to have already stopped taking bets.