Howard the Donkey Wants the Superdelegates to Make a Decision

Howard Dean is taking heat for not being more involved in the Dem delegate battle, so today he's asking the superdelegates to make their decision by July 1:

A potential game-changer from CBS News and "The Early Show." Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean says he wants superdelegates to make a decision by JULY 1 -- the most specific he has been in his effort to prod the party to decide between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton before the Democratic National Convention in late August.

Harry Smith asked if after the nominating contests end with the South Dakota and Montana primaries on June 3, "Do you want the superdelegates to have some sort of vote immediately so that you'll know months in advance of the convention what the outcome is?”

Dean replied: “Well, I think the superdelegates have already been weighing in. I think that there's 800 of them and 450 of them have already said who they're for. I'd like the other 350 to say who they're at some point between now and the first of July so we don't have to take this into the convention.”

An aide explains that July 1 is not a drop-dead deadline: "The point is before the convention, ideally in June."

I hate to disagree to Ben Smith at the Politico, but this won't be a "game-changer" at all because the Clintons have no intention whatsoever of quitting before a convention fight if the supers go against them. If by some miracle the supers put Clinton on top, Hill and Bill would immediately demand the withdrawal of Obama from the race. That's the way they work.

I don't think all the superdelegates will cooperate. Some will not want to make their decision until they have to in Denver just in case events occur in July or August that could change the race.

Nice try, Howard, but it isn't going to happen the way you want it to.