On a conference call with reporters today, the Clinton campaign disagreed strongly with On a conference call with reporters today, the Clinton campaign disagreed strongly with Mark: They said superdelegates will, indeed, decide the Democratic nominee, regardless of the pledged delegate count in June after all the states and territories have had their say. "When this whole process is over on the 6th or the 7th of June with Puerto Rico, both candidates will need a certain number of unpledged delegates to clinch the nomination," said Harold Ickes, a longtime Hillary Clinton adviser. Ickes said key upcoming primaries for Clinton -- in addition to Ohio, Texas, and Pennsylvania -- are Mississippi (March 11) and Puerto Rico (June 7). Mentioning these states is clearly an attempt to push the narrative that the race will continue on beyond March 4, regardless of the outcomes in Ohio and Texas. The call also featured a rehash of the new "commander-in-chief" language Clinton has rolled out in the past several days. "She is the only person in this race who is both ready to be commander-in-chief and end the Iraq war and begin to bring troops home in 60 days," Ickes said. Mark Penn's comments on polling to come. --Dana Goldstein
