Recordpub.com - OUR VIEW: The Dems' dilemma No end in sight for Clinton-Obama battle in wake of Indiana, N.C votes

Fresh off a convincing win in North Carolina and battling his rival to a virtual draw in Indiana, Barack Obama is about 200 delegates shy of the Democratic presidential nomination, a narrow enough margin to press his claim to the party's nod.
Hillary Clinton, who expected to lose North Carolina but clearly fell short of her expectations in Indiana, says she isn't giving up. And she's loaned her campaign another $6 million to carry on her quest; that's on top of the $5 million she shelled out in February, when it really looked like she was on the ropes.
So, unless the New York senator decides to cash in her chips, it's on to West Virginia, the next primary state, with contests in Kentucky, Oregon with Montana and South Dakota " two electoral powerhouses " next in line. After that is a primary in Puerto Rico, whose residents can't even vote in the presidential election but send delegates to the nominating convention.
The Clinton campaign seems undeterred by the basic mathematics that indicate it will be nearly impossible to cobble together the delegate tally she needs for the nomination. Obama, who is about 150 delegates ahead of his rival, again appears to be setting his sights on a fight with John McCain this fall but there's no question that the continuing inter-party battle is draining his resources.
The "electability" question, a key element in Clinton's strategy to win the nomination, remains unresolved. Neither Indiana nor North Carolina are likely to show up in the Democratic column this fall, regardless of who is at the head of the ticket, nor are they in the same category, in terms of electoral votes, as California, Texas, New York, Illinois, Pennsylvania or Ohio.
Tuesday's results raise another, potentially more troubling, question for the Democrats as race played a pivotal role in the outcome in both North Carolina and Indiana. Whites in both states strongly favored Clinton whle Obama won an overwhelming mandate from black voters.
Obama again found himself unable to crack the voting bloc that was key to Clinton's wins in Ohio and Pennsylvania " working-class white Democrats, who may hold the margin of victory in those states and others in the Midwest, such as Michigan, in the race against McCain. His winning coalition included " in addition to black voters " young, first-time primary voters, the very liberal and college graduates, sizable minorities of whites. Whether that would be enough to turn the tide in November remains debatable.
Clinton appears determined to soldier on, pinning her hopes on being able to persuade uncommitted superdelegates to throw in their lot with her despite the mounting odds. Obama has no choice but to continue the battle until he does, in fact, reach the magic number needed for the nomination. Meanwhile, John McCain has the luxury of plotting his strategy for the general election with Republicans more or less united behind his candidacy.