Still alive

To the dismay of some Democrats and to the delight of many Republicans, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) won the Pennsylvania primary handily on Tuesday night.

The Democratic Party simply cannot make up its mind on who it should nominate, and fears about a brokered convention are intensifying.

Asked about the race last week, Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), who has not publicly backed a candidate, said with a sigh, “It is what it is.”

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) is looking to take advantage of the time Democrats spend arguing with each other to unify his party. He still has work to do, and lots of money to raise.

Fundraising is not McCain’s strength, and he will be outgunned this fall.

But the anticipated Democratic advantage may not be as big as initially thought because Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) are spending tens of millions against one another that could otherwise be spent against their ultimate opponent.

There is little doubt that the Democratic base is energized. This is not surprising, for their party has a lot going for it in electoral terms. Some people even argue that the long primary is helping the Democrats and say that all will be fine for them as long as the race ends before July 1.

The way the race is going, however, guarantees that one of the two candidates will be very upset and probably embittered about the nomination.

Obama has the delegate lead and Clinton has won the battleground states, including Ohio and Pennsylvania. Obama is winning the popular vote, though that is still up for grabs.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has said the nominee will be decided before the Democratic convention in Denver. That may well be. Obama is a huge favorite to win North Carolina on May 6. Indiana, the other primary that day, is considered a toss-up.

Clinton probably can’t afford a doubleheader defeat, so Indiana is a must-win for her. She is a skilled campaigner in those conditions; every time she has been against the ropes, she has won.

If Clinton wins a majority of the remaining states, it is hard to see her going quietly and it is nearly impossible to see Obama agreeing to be her No. 2. Obama is beating her in superdelegates and, barring several more gaffes like his “bitter … clinging” comment, she can’t catch him. And he can’t get to the clinching number.

The Democrats are in a quandary that may clear itself up in coming weeks. But right now, their saga is headed for a climactic ending that could leave deep scars that could severely handicap Democrats’ chances of taking back the White House.