Barack Obama Set to Not Quite Win It All Tonight

Today, Democrats in Montana and one of the two Dakotas (I think it's West Dakota) head out to the polls to pretend to make a difference in this never-ending Democratic primary race which — against all common logic — is actually ending tonight!

Yes! You read me right. Today is the very last day of the primary contests. And Senator Barack Obama — whom you may have heard of — stands 39.5 delegates away from the new 2,117 magic number to clinch the nomination.

Between the 31 pledged delegates up for grabs tonight and the 195.5 superdelegates — who, after six months, still haven't received enough information to make up their minds — he should be able to reach his goal this week. Possibly tonight!

Sensing an opportunity to shut down the nominating contest, Obama's campaign advisers said that they were orchestrating an endorsement of Obama by at least eight Senate and House members who had pledged to remain uncommitted until the primaries ended, and that the endorsements would come the moment the South Dakota polls closed on Tuesday night.

Hmmm… I'm no math using guy or something, but doesn't 31 plus 8 equal 39? So, even if he won all the pledged delegates tonight — which he won't — wouldn't still leave him half a delegate beneath the goal?

Maybe he's hoping the country rounds up. Or down. Or sideways. Ugh, math.