From Keystone state to Tombsone state

Kristen Powers:

Bitter? You better believe it.

Democratic stalwarts, excited by two groundbreaking candidates and a strong shot at the White House, are wondering what the heck happened. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are mud wrestling their way through Pennsylvania, while John McCain enjoys a jolly honeymoon.

In short: The magic's gone.

That became even more obvious after a debate that helped neither candidate Wednesday night, after which Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean pleaded for superdelegates to make up their mind - now.

Dean, who last month called on superdelegates to declare their allegiance by July 1, seems increasingly worried about the impact the protracted primary is having on Democrat's prospects for the White House. "I need them to say who they're for starting now. We've got to know who our nominee is."

Blame it on Pennsylvania - the Keystone State that's become the Tombstone State.

While jumping from state-to-state has kept the Democratic race fresh, the six-week stretch since Mississippi's March 11 primary and Tuesday's Pennsylvania showdown has kept both candidates bogged down. The process has sullied both Obama and Clinton, fatigued Democrats and fostered animosity between their supporters. It has also offered a treasure trove of material for McCain in the fall.

An Associated Press/Yahoo poll released Friday found that the long primary has exacted a price on Obama, the presumed Democratic nominee. More voters are now saying he is inexperienced, unethical and dishonest. Those rating him as "not at all honest," rose from 18 percent last fall to 27 percent in April.

Meanwhile, the man he will face in the general election - assuming Obama is the nominee - is gaining ground. Another AP-Yahoo poll last week showed McCain pulling even with Obama and Clinton, despite the fact that several months earlier, Democrats had been favored by 13 points to win the presidency.

One Independent voter told the Associated Press, "It's not that I'm that much in favor of McCain, it's the other two are turning me off."

...

I have always thought that the more we get to know the Democrat candidates the less people will like them and where they want to take the country. It also appears the fear Karl Rove expressed about McCain losing traction while the Democrats go on was misplaced. The longer it goes on the less attractive both Democrats appear. This has been tougher on Obama than Clinton because the media had raised expectations so high and had ignored so much.

Pennsylvania has tested him in ways he was not ready for. He was already behind in the state when he messed up and said what he really thought about some of the voters there. Then came the focus on his friends who despise us, Rev. Wright and William Ayers. This focus bothers liberals for a strange reason. They think it is a distraction. What they overlook is his poor judgment in making the associations at a time when he is claiming his superior judgment overcomes his lack of experience.

Liberal critics can fume all they want about the Pennsylvania debate, but they are revealing their political bias and their animus toward the search for the truth about their candidate.

One of the things I have notices in the last few weeks is that Hillary Clinton is a much better candidate