Pat Dollard | Young Americans

Newsday:

INDIANAPOLIS - It ain’t over ’til it’s over, but a growing number of Hillary Rodham Clinton’s closest friends now think it’s really over.

A veil of gloom descended on Clinton’s campaign Wednesday, with people close to her questioning how long the former first lady could — or should — remain in the race following a surprisingly thin Indiana win and blowout loss in North Carolina on Tuesday.

“I don’t see any way she can put this together any more — she can’t win the popular vote or the delegate count — so what’s the rationale?” said a major Clinton supporter from New York, speaking on condition of anonymity. “I think the challenge now is letting her leave with dignity and grace and letting the process go forward. She has got to leave on a high note. She’s got to determine her own exit strategy.”

Trying to head off calls for her to quit, Bill and Hillary Clinton are planning a major conference call as early as Thursday to address the anxiety and anger among their donors, surrogates and superdelegates — who provide her last, thin hope of capturing the nomination.

Behind the scenes, her top advisers were lobbying backers to keep them from defecting to Obama, and Clinton flew to Washington to make a private plea for support to uncommitted congressional superdelegates.

Publicly, however, Clinton and her staff were dismissive of suggestions she exit the race. They also denied any suggestion they are secretly negotiating with Obama over a possible deal to end the 16-month nomination fight that might include a “Dream Ticket” vice-presidential deal, or the retirement of Clinton’s mounting campaign debt.

“There are no discussions,” Clinton strategist Howard Wolfson said.

The glum mood among Clinton supporters wasn’t improved by news that she was forced to lend the campaign an additional $6.4 million after writing herself a check for $5 million in late January. Wolfson added that she “is willing” to make future loans if needed and said he hoped the disclosure of the cash infusion would spur online donors.

There was one bright spot for Clinton — an anticipated cascade of superdelegates to Obama following Tuesday night didn’t materialize. Four superdelegates and failed 1972 Democratic presidential candidate George McGovern, who had supported Clinton, endorsed Obama. Clinton picked up one superdelegate, North Carolina Rep. Heath Shuler.

To some supporters, however, it felt like a temporary reprieve. One longtime friend and adviser said Tuesday’s results pointed up a troubling aspect of her candidacy — even Democrats turned off by Obama’s relationship with the Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr. preferred a damaged Obama to Clinton.

“She couldn’t close the deal,” said the friend. “She succeeded in raising doubts, but voters didn’t view her as a real alternative. And that’s the conundrum of Hillary Clinton — it’s always been the case — a lot of people just don’t like her and that’s ultimately what did her in.”

In another ominous sign for Clinton, California Sen. Dianne Feinstein, one of her most stalwart supporters, fretted publicly about “negative dividends” from Clinton staying in the race. “I’d like to talk with her and her view on the rest of the race and what the strategy is,” she told The Hill newspaper.

Clinton, who hastily scheduled an early-morning rally in West Virginia to counter talk that she was mulling a fast exit, was defiant Wednesday.

Shorn of a clear statistical rationale — she has virtually no chance of catching Obama in pledged delegates or popular vote in the six final contests — Clinton opted for a fiery political argument. Speaking to reporters, Clinton suggested Obama was setting up Democrats for a November loss comparable to John Kerry’s defeat in 2004 because the Illinois senator doesn’t enjoy Clinton’s popularity with women, working-class voters, swing-state independents and Hispanics.

But even Clinton supporters urging their candidate to stay in until the South Dakota and Montana primaries on June 3 see the finish line but aren’t prepared to predict Clinton will get there.

“Why should she quit?” said Clinton fundraiser Hassan Nemazee. “This isn’t February or March. Let people vote. We are talking about being three weeks away from the last primary. … Maybe I’m deluding myself, but I would advise her to stay in until the end. As long as you are wearing the uniform, you have a chance to win the game.”