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Talking Heads Call Nomination for Obama

Clinton camp still fighting punditry's pronouncement that race is over

By Jonas Oransky, Newser Staff

Posted May 7, 2008 1:46 PM CDT

(Newser) – America’s pundit class has deemed the Democratic race over, shifting the conventional wisdom away from Hillary Clinton’s whisker of a chance, the New York Times reports. From Tim Russert’s assertion that “We now know who the Democratic nominee’s going to be, and no one’s going to dispute it” to the Drudge Report’s anointing Barack Obama “The Nominee,” the worm appears to have turned among analysts.

Presidential guru David Gergen said, “I think the Clinton people know the game is almost up;" ABC's George Stephanopolous declared, “This nomination fight is over;" on CBS, Bob Schieffer intoned, “Basically … this race is over.” Team Hillary’s pushback against the marked change in opinion? Said one aide, “Thankfully for us the punditocracy does not control this nominating process.”

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Veteran news anchor Bob Schieffer arrives at the 2007 Glamour Magazine "Women of the Year" awards in this Nov. 5, 2007, file photo in New York. Schieffer, who has anchored "Face the Nation" since 1991,... (AP Photo/Peter Kramer, file)

Stephanopolous, Russert, Drudge and Moulitsas (AP and Getty composite)

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Talking Heads Call Nomination for Obama