As John McCain embarks on a visit to foreign leaders ("Gravitas Tour 2008"), Democrats Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are fighting hard over the remaining delegates to the Democratic Convention in August, but neither of them can claim a majority now with "pledged" delegates won in primaries and caucuses; either will need hundreds of votes from the "superdelegates" - those with automatic seats at the convention, including elected officials, DNC members, and various other party activists. It may not get any prettier, report Adam Nagourney and Jeff Zeleny for The New York Times:

Interviews with dozens of undecided superdelegates -- the elected officials and party leaders who could hold the balance of power for the nomination -- found them uncertain about who, if anyone, would step in to fill a leadership vacuum and help guide the contest to a conclusion that would not weaken the Democratic ticket in the general election.

While many superdelegates said they intended to keep their options open as the race continued to play out over the next three months, the interviews suggested that the playing field was tilting slightly toward Mr. Obama in one potentially vital respect. Many of them said that in deciding whom to support, they would adopt what Mr. Obama's campaign has advocated as the essential principle: reflecting the will of the voters.

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"Every day that this continues, people can surmise that this is going to the convention in Colorado and it could be decided by the superdelegates," said Gov. Joe Manchin III of West Virginia, the head of the Democratic Governors Association. "There is not a superdelegate that I have spoken to who wants that to happen."

The rest is at the link above. Of course, the idea that "superdelegates" are somehow morally obligated to vote for the leader in pledged delegates is completely ridiculous. If the Party had intended that, there would have been no reason to have "superdelegates" at all. Instead, they were instituted to return some influence over the process to elected officials and party leaders INSTEAD OF blindly relying on primary results.

They were added to use their best judgment. They are there to prevent the Party from making a mistake as a result of the primary season, and ensure they field the strongest candidate in the fall. If they abdicate that responsibility, they serve no purpose. I suspect most of them understand this, including those who have publicly agreed with the opposite view. This is why they hope it won't come down to them to decide.