Edwards Catches the Late Train

It took John Edwards four months to make up his mind to belatedly endorse Obama for president.

His backing, now, is really an effort to play catch-up and to avoid being consigned to irrelevance should Obama win the election. But the process that led Edwards to act is emblematic of that which will assure Obama of sufficient delegates to win the nomination.

No longer is it a question of whether to endorse Obama or Hillary. Now the professional politicians who are the uncommitted superdelegates have to rush to get seats on the late train for Obama before it leaves the station.

With just shy of 1,900 delegates, the Illinois senator is only about 140 votes short of the nomination. With about 50 delegates likely to come to him on Tuesday when Kentucky and Oregon vote, that leaves 90 slots on the bandwagon still open.

Superdelegates will be vying with one another to get in their reservations so they can be for Obama before he gets the majority.