Senator Clinton hangs in there

George McGovern (left) -- former senator, 1972 Democratic presidential candidate, one of Senator Hillary Clinton's earliest and strongest supporters in her race for the presidency, not to mention one of her first political mentors (and the subject of my own research right now) --is now urging Senator Clinton to exit the presidential race. In an interview with Associated Press, McGovern said, "Hillary, of course, will make the decision. But I hope that she reaches that decision soon so that we can concentrate on a unified party capable of winning the White House next November." As McGovern points out, it's mathematically impossible for Senator Clinton to win the nomination at this point.

But Senator Clinton is vowing to continue on until the end of the primary season in June. And she is looking more and more desperate. She is now meeting with Democratic bigwigs trying to see if the disqualified states of Michigan and Florida can be counted. You may recall that both states were taken out of the primary process for violating Democratic Party rules by moving up their primaries to an earlier date. She is also arguing that she should win the delegates from Michigan and Florida because voters in both states supported her. She has also loaned her campaign $6.4 million of her own money since April 11 to keep it afloat. Senator Clinton is clearly clinging desperately to whatever she can to stay in this race. Her close friend Sidney Blumenthal has resorted to all the old backroom, Lyndon Johnson-esque shady deals and dirty tricks, but she has failed to sink Senator Barack Obama.

The pressure is growing day by day for her to leave the race. To call Senator Clinton stubborn would be the understatement of the new millennium. Even those close to the Clintons agree they are ruthlessly determined. And they are not quitters. But watching Senator Clinton soldier on defiantly is painful. Maybe it's because her transparent obsession with holding on to power at any cost now overshadows all of her other reasons -- lofty or otherwise -- for originally entering the race.