OK, so we were wrong, Hillary does still have a shot

It`s too easy.

With tomorrow night`s PA primary quickly approaching, and as all respectable polls find that Hillary`s rapidly losing ground, her campaign`s expectations are naturally falling as well. Less than a month ago, when statewide polls had her pinned in a comfortable, seemingly insurpassable double-digit lead, the Hillary campaign continued to bet on a huge PA win. Now, the bar for what Hillary needs in order to be justified in limping all the way through to the National Convention in August, has been lowered to a mere 5-6 point victory. Fact is, she`ll probably get this--and with the more superior spin machine, her campaign will probably get away with casting it as another huge upset victory that once again boasts Obama`s un-electability. Another, much more devastating fact for Hillary, is that even a victory tomorrow night of 20 percentage points, will still leave her a long way from capturing the nomination. Catherine Dodge and Kristen Jensen explain why, here:

After more than 40 Democratic primaries and caucuses, Obama, the Illinois senator, leads Clinton by more than 800,000 votes. Even if the New York senator wins by more than 20 percentage points tomorrow -- a landslide few experts expect -- she would still have a hard time catching him.

Clinton needs ``blowout numbers,'' says Peter Fenn, a Democratic consultant who isn't affiliated with either campaign. ``The wheels would have to come off the Obama bus, and the engine would have to blow.''

A popular-vote victory is vital to Clinton's chances because she is likely to end the primaries still trailing Obama, 46, in the race for delegates to the Democratic National Convention.

According to an unofficial tally by the Associated Press, Obama currently leads by a margin of 1,645 to 1,504 among pledged delegates and those superdelegates -- elected and party officials who get an automatic vote on the nomination -- who have indicated a preference. It will take 2,025 delegates to win the nomination.

``I am a big believer that she needs either one, the popular or the delegate count,'' in order to make a case for why she should be the nominee, New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine, a Clinton backer, said in an interview.

There you have it. Even big Hillary fan, Governor Corzine, admits that without one of the two, Hillary and her campaign are sunk. Seriously, I have no problem with Hillary running until the end and doing her best to foment a superdelegate coup--which at this point, embodies her only realistic shot at the nomination. She has the right, as Obama has said. Unfortunately, since Super Tuesday, Obama has gained the backing of more than 80 uncommitted Superdelegates, while only 5 have gone in Hillary`s favor. Either way, the public, and the party elite, know who`s gonna be facing McCain in November. I just hope Hillary doesn`t stay in long enough to totally ruin Obama`s shot by more fervently relying on her kitchen sink, GOP-scripted strategy highlighted in last week`s ABC debate.