US Democrats fight on to the end

The race for Democratic Party's presidential nomination is (nearly ) over!

No more primary groundhog days.

No more reporting the endless see-saw of results.

No more sitting on the fence as to who will be the Democratic nominee.

It has of course been looking like the end for some time.

The results from the final primary races in South Dakota and Montana are not going to be "game-changers" with all of their 31 delegates.

Neither Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama will be in either state to await the result.

It is likely that the results will confirm what we already know - that Barack Obama can win in largely white rural states, once again relying on the higher proportion of college educated voters.

Mental somersaults

Yet, even though she is staring at defeat, and some of her staunchest supporters - like Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell - now publicly express doubt that she can do it, Hillary Clinton is still claiming victory - of a kind.

It takes a few mental somersaults and mathematical massages - but her disputed logic states that she has won the popular vote and is therefore still the best candidate.

It is certainly true that every time someone has tried to slam another nail in her coffin, she has come bouncing back up like a mythical mummy.

This Sunday she took another bow after a big win in Puerto Rico. But there will be no more curtain calls after Tuesday night.

Though she has won fights right up to the end, she has not been able to win the crucial battles.

Look at the outcome of the Democratic National Committee judgement over the weekend on the delegates for Florida and Michigan.

It just did not go her way.

The big question is whether Hillary Clinton will throw in the towel on Tuesday night.

There has been plenty of anecdotal reporting that she is preparing to quit.

Her staff are being told to submit their expenses by the end of the week.

And her husband Bill - campaigning in South Dakota - said that a Monday campaign rally may have been his last appearance in a presidential race!