The skinny bald-headed man has sung:
James Carville has been one of Hillary Clinton’s most energetic defenders, but on Monday he all but declared Barack Obama will become the Democratic nominee for president.
Speaking to students at Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina, Carville argued Clinton should stay in through the final nominating contest in early June, but said the Democratic tide appears to be moving in Obama’s direction.
“I still hear some dogs barking,” Carville said, according to The State newspaper. “I’m for Senator Clinton, but I think the great likelihood is that Obama will be the nominee.”
“As soon as I determine when that is, I’ll send him a check,” he added.
This is about a good a sign that barring some huge, political-world-shaking development Obama will get the nomination. When asked about a Veep for Obama, Carville mentioned Clinton — but also Clinton supporter Wesley Clark. That is a concept that many pundits are now floating: if an Obama Clinton “Dream Team” ticket is really an “In Your Dreams Ticket” then Obama could opt for a prominent Clinton supporter, which could help unify the bruised party.
UPDATE: Political Scientist Steven Taylor points to another strong sign that it’s all but over for Clinton.
UPDATE: On the other hand, some think that Obama is in trouble.
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.