Clinton Backers Scold San Fran Nan

I knew that sooner or later the Clinton folks would take exception to the various proclamations of Nancy Pelosi regarding superdelegates:

WASHINGTON (CNN) — Nearly 20 high-profile Hillary Clinton backers strongly criticized Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday over her recent suggestion that Democratic party superdelegates should not overturn the pledged delegate outcome at the party's convention this August.

In a letter to the House Speaker dated Wednesday, the backers said that position is at odds with the party's original intent on what the role of superdelegates should be. (Read full letter [PDF])

"Superdelegates, like all delegates, have an obligation to make an informed, individual decision about whom to support and who would be the party’s strongest nominee," the backers wrote.

"Both campaigns agree that at the end of the primary contests neither will have enough pledged delegates to secure the nomination," they also said. "In that situation, super-delegates must look to not one criterion but to the full panoply of factors that will help them assess who will be the party’s strongest nominee in the general election."

In an ABC interview earlier this month, Pelosi said it was her belief whichever candidate ended the round of primaries with the pledged-delegate lead should be awarded the Democratic nomination by the superdelegates. That argument would benefit Barack Obama, whose current pledged delegate lead of 171 is virtually insurmountable given the party's proportional delegation allocations, even if Clinton were to win each of the remaining 10 primary contests.

In their letter to Pelosi, the backers urged the House speaker to "clarify your position on super-delegates and reflect in your comments a more open view to the optional independent actions of each of the delegates at the National Convention in August."

"If the votes of the superdelegates overturn what happened in the elections it would be harmful to the Democratic Party," Pelosi said.

It's "go time" for the Clintons. They want the superdelegates free to vote for her without pressure from party leadership, and Hillary has also proclaimed that no delegates are truly "pledged" at the convention and they can also vote for whomever they wish. She's planning to go the distance.

UPDATE: In an interview with Fox News Hillary says she's going to stay in the race all the way to the convention and wouldn't mind a credentials committee fight.

Goody, goody, goody....