Clinton Insiders See Election 'Fading Away'

Confidence is dwindling in the Clinton ranks:

Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton and her advisers increasingly believe that, after a series of losses, she has been boxed into a must-win position in the Ohio and Texas primaries on March 4, and she has begun reassuring anxious donors and superdelegates that the nomination is not slipping away from her, aides said on Monday.

Mrs. Clinton held a buck-up-the-troops conference call on Monday with donors, superdelegates and other supporters; several said afterward that she had sounded tired and a little down, but determined about Ohio and Texas.

They also said that they had not been especially soothed, and that they believed she might be on a losing streak that could jeopardize her competitiveness in those states.

“She has to win both Ohio and Texas comfortably, or she’s out,” said one superdelegate who has endorsed Mrs. Clinton, and who spoke on condition of anonymity to share a candid assessment. “The campaign is starting to come to terms with that.” Campaign advisers, also speaking privately in order to speak plainly, confirmed this view.

TradeSports is currently predicting an Obama win in both Texas and Ohio. Things are not looking good for Hillary right now.

Of course, this also means a high likelihood of an Obama presidency. If you apply the beer test (ask yourself which of the two candidates you'd rather go out and have a beer with), between Obama and McCain, I'd say Obama wins. On the other hand, McCain would beat Hillary. This simple test is remarkably accurate for predicting who will win in Presidential elections. Interestingly, this test only seems to work for the general election, not the primaries.

(via Drudge)