WASHINGTON -- Indiana 9th District Rep. Baron Hill, a previously uncommitted Democratic superdelegate, is endorsing presidential candidate Barack Obama today.

Hill's spokeswoman, Katie Moreau, said the congressman will make the endorsement tonight at a Bloomington rally where Obama will appear. The rally begins at 8:30 p.m. at Indiana University's Assembly Hall.

Hill was among a group of superdelegates in Indiana and Kentucky who for months had held off siding with either Obama, a senator from Illinois, or Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York in the campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination.

But yesterday a Kentucky superdelegate, Rep. Ben Chandler, D-6th District, announced his endorsement of Obama.

Hill released a statement this morning on his decision.

"Some have advised me to be cautious, to wait and see which way the electoral winds may blow," he said. "I confess that I have listened to those voices and been tempted by their reasoning. But, the stakes are just too high.

"We cannot continue to pursue the same politics of personal destruction we have engaged in for a generation, some never-ending `groundhog day' endlessly playing out the cultural wars of forty years ago," Hill said.

"If we are going to develop real solutions for Hoosier families, for America's families, we have to move past the partisan gridlock," he added. "I believe both Senator Clinton and Senator Obama want to do that and I believe both are formidable candidates. But I also believe that only one of them truly can. I am proud of Senator Obama's call for change in Washington -- change I have been advocating since I first sought public office. I am truly hopeful that his campaign and election will help unify our nation and ultimately change our politics."

Hill said Obama's repudiation of the controversial remarks of his former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr., was a sign of leadership and strength of character.

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WV: Clinton +10 (19-9)
KY: Clinton +15 (33-18)
OR: Obama +8 (30-22)
MT: Obama +2 (9-7)
SD: Obama +1 (8-7)

Puerto Rico allocates 36 delegates across 8 senatorial districts, with 12 at-large and 7 pledged PLEO delegates (per TGP).The only poll done in Puerto Rico (about a month ago) showed Clinton up 50-37. In a crude effort to estimate delegates, I grossed that up to 100%, giving Clinton a victory of 57.4%-42.6%. If I apply that to the popular margin and across all of the districts, Clinton only nets out 5 delegates (30-25). However, if Clinton is able to get over 62.5% in a lot of districts, she could net out as many as 19 delegates (37-18), given that 5 of the 8 senatorial districts have 4 delegates.

All in all, Clinton could end up netting out around 40 delegates in a best-case scenario for her - but only if she performs exceptionally well in PR. Given that the Latino population there has different concerns than those on the continental U.S., as well as the fact that residents with an African heritage may very well support Obama (just look at his blowout win in the Virgin Islands), a closer result is more likely. Clinton netting out 25 delegates won't be enough to make a difference for her - even if they seat FL and MI as is, which won't happen.

But one reason Claire was a great candidate to work for was that she was always on message and always sounded completely confident and unconcerned - even when most of the rest of us were doubtful and concerned.   In 2006 it turned out she was right to be confident.  In 2004 - she sounded confident and she lost; not by much -- but she lost.  

She sounded absolutely confident that Obama was going to win Missouri - much more confident than that squeaker of a primary deserved.  

It's what makes her a great surrogate for him.    But you're right to say that it might be gamesmanship.
 

I just read this piece in The Jed Report

Superdelegates to blame for enabling destructive campaign

At any point during the last two months, superdelegates could have made it clear that they would support the will of voters. Instead, by declaring their indecision, they provided Clinton with a new rationale for her campaign. Effectively, they encouraged her coup attempt. It was if they said to her: if you can prove to us that Barack Obama is unelectable, we will overturn the judgment of voters.

It is now clear just how foolish and unwise the superdelegates were for offering Clinton such a destructive path to the nomination, for she has tried to meet it with unrestrained vigor. Two months later, a party that was once unified is now divided. The septuagenarian Republican presidential candidate who devised the Iraq war strategy and wants to stay there for one hundred years is leading or tied in most polls.

And the ultimate blame for making this possible rests with the very people who are supposed to lead the Democratic Party: the superdelegates.

::

It's important to remember the state of the campaign in late February. At that point, 70% of the pledged delegates had been chosen. Barack Obama had 1,210 pledged delegates and Clinton had 1,044, a lead of 166. It was clear that Obama's pledged delegate lead was insurmountable.

Now, after two months of nastiness on the campaign trail, voters have selected another another 573 pledged delegates, 20% of the total. With just 10% remaining, the pledged delegate margin is virtually identical heading into May as it was in late February: Obama leads by 161. (He has has 1,494 and Clinton has 1,333.)

[.]The point is clear: Hillary Clinton took the superdelegates up on their irresponsible challenge and tried to prove that Obama is unelectable. Meanwhile, Obama could not respond as forcefully to Clinton as he would have to John McCain. He knew that unlike Clinton, he had to worry about unifying the party after her superdelegate gambit. He couldn't afford to attack her the way she attacked him.

Moreover, the media created a new Clinton-friendly narrative in order to support a continued campaign.[.]

Expect to hear a WHOLE LOT MORE crap about Rev Wright and Louis Farrakhan. She needs nearly every remaining white person to vote for her and I'm sure she will try, turning the Democratic Party backwards fifty years.

Obama: 3

Rep. Bruce Braley (Iowa)
Rep. Baron Hill (Indiana)
Rep. Lois Capps (California)

Clinton: 2

Luisette Cabanas (Puerto Rico)
Bill George, President of the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO.