Dems in the trenches

Jonathon Martin and Mike Allen:

The Democratic race has entered its World War I phase, a bloody fight between two adversaries making only the most incremental of gains. And there is no reason to think either side will emerge from the trenches anytime soon.

There are 10 scheduled contests left, but thanks to proportional allocation, not enough pledged delegates to be had for either Barack Obama or Hillary Rodham Clinton to clinch the nomination. And, because of increasingly firm demographic voting trends, it appears to be a foregone conclusion who will capture most of the states left.

So on June 3rd, when South Dakota and Montana end the current voting calendar, the contours of the race aren't likely to be much different than they are today.

That means two-and-a-half months of conference calls, attacks, counter-attacks and millions of dollars spent all to move the political needle just a few inches.

“It’s going to be a long, hard slog,” predicted Jim Jordan, a veteran Democratic strategist not working for either candidate. “It’s not good for the party.”

Pennsylvania, which votes on April 22nd, and Indiana and North Carolina, which both go on May 6th, will be closely watched, as will Florida and Michigan in the event they vote again. But the stretch otherwise lacks any obvious primary of consequence or other decisive moment that could spell the end for either candidate.

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Can you tell that the media is starting to get bored with the Democrats? Boredom as much as the internal fighting are the biggest problems for the candidates. While Obama livened things up late last week with his self smearing campaign to get the dirt out there now, it has only brought him down to Clinton's level in the national polls and has put John McCain ahead of both of them.

After his minister's words were thrust onto the national scene last week he had reason again to question the wisdom of borrowing his "words" speech from the Massachusetts's governor. "Just words" is a refrain that may haunt him as people recall his minister asking God to damn America.