As of this moment, 11:09 a.m. East Coast time, June 3, 2008 the Associated Press, as reported by Fox News, has declared that the last two states yet to hold Democratic primaries don't count. Voting has just started out west in South Dakota and Montana, but they may as well just shut right back down because the media has declared these two primaries irrelevant.

The race is over their reports say, Hillary Clinton is out of it, and it doesn't matter what the Democratic voters in those two states do or say. Even if Barack Obama captures every single pledged delegate in those last two primaries he can not lock in the Democratic nomination, but protestations from the Clinton camp notwithstanding, the media has nonetheless declared Barack Obama the winner, so there!

He needs 40 pledged delegates to lock in. The combination of Montana and South Dakota gives him only 31 if he gets every last one of them, which he can't! But that doesn't matter. Hillary is done, the news says so, and even if this 'announcement' is several hours premature and basically calling the primary before the polls are closed, so what? This is the media. What the media says goes, and don't expect any corrections if something isn't quite right.

Their evidence? Hillary Clinton told her campaign staffers to put in their expenses and they will be paid through the 15th of this month. OK, well, the primary campaign ends today, another phase begins tomorrow and you don't need all those people hanging around with nothing to do - on salary.

Why would you keep a bunch of campaign staffers on staff when the campaign is over? Just curious, that's all.

I mean, as a Republican and a small businessman I don't hire people to do jobs that don't exist. Maybe they do that in Democratic businesses, which would explain the exploding taxes and prices what with the Dems in control of Congress and all.

Oh, and Bill Clinton said yesterday that the campaign has been long and he isn't likely to work on another one like it. Uh, yeah, the primaries end today, and no, regardless of what happens Hillary Clinton isn't likely to go through this again, nor is her husband.

That doesn't mean she is folding her tents and slinking away. It means the primaries are over and they are both at a crossroads. Man, there is some serious fortune telling going on out on the media circuit.

Can you say voter manipulation? Or tampering? How about a complaint to the federal elections commission? Might be worth doing just to put an end to this speculation that goes so far overboard and is so far off the mark.

Hillary also is expected to agree that Obama has more delegates than her, and if all the unpledged "Super" delegates side with Obama and stay with him until the vote at the convention in August, he will get the nod. Well, that has been evident from the start hasn't it?

But as some of us know, the super delegates can change their minds any time up until the actual vote, and that is three months away, and he does not and WILL NOT have enough pledged delegates.

Also, three months, as everyone has been saying lately, is many, many lifetimes in politics.

Why this has exploded into a concession on Mrs. Clinton's part escapes me, especially since her staff are saying this isn't the case. But what the hell, I've only been covering, working in, and planning strategy in the political arena for 30 years. What could I possibly know?

Can you imagine the reaction if this had been done in reverse? Man, Barack Obama's camp would have gone nuclear! I can see the quote from Rev. Wright now! Phew!

Nonetheless, the news is reporting that Obama has it locked up so obviously he has it locked up and all you folks out in South Dakota and Montana who thought your votes were going to count, well - sorry about that!

The news will report the actual results of the voting later this evening. But don't expect any big revelations. The Associated Press has anointed the king and the queen can just get back in the kitchen and bake him a pie!

Seehttp://www.ronaldwinterbooks.com/blog/2008/05/barack-cartman-obama-make-me-some-south.htm for a full explanation of that last one.

So that's it. Been fun. See you later. I'm going back to veterans' issues and the Dems can do whatever it is they do.

Oh, by the way, the Clinton camp says the AP is incorrect! But who cares, the word is out and now there is no way to bring it back. Is there?