Marshall writes:

I'm not even sure at this immediate juncture that it's in Obama's or the Democratic party's interest for her to drop out of the race.

One concrete reason is that among the three contests to come over the next two weeks -- West Virginia, Kentucky and Oregon -- two are among the best for Hillary in the country. So having him become presumptive nominee just before losing the West Virginia primary doesn't necessarily allow him to hit the ground running. And as Obama's speech last night signaled, his campaign seems intent on giving Clinton the space to make the decision on her own. The eventual nomination he has in hand; what he's got to work on is deescalating the tension between himself and Clinton's supporters. That's the necessary prelude to building the party unity he needs to win in November.

I hope he's right, because there is little sign that she will concede before June 3.The Washington Post reports.

In her conversations with advisers yesterday, they said, Clinton talked about looking ahead to the next campaign, in West Virginia, where she should hold an advantage on Tuesday.

"Her feeling is she's made a commitment to let the people in the remaining states have their chance to express their voice, and she'll move forward with that part of the campaign in a way that will both make the case for her but also be constructive for the Democratic Party," said Geoff Garin, a top strategist in the campaign.

Another Clinton adviser said that there is at best a 10 percent chance that she will end her candidacy before the last primaries, on June 3.

McGovern Retracts Support for Clinton

The Nation has a slew of articles related to the primaries, including one by John Nichols describing George McGovern's decision, announced Wednesday, to retract his support of Clinton:

First, he announced that he was switching his endorsement to Obama. That made him one of the most prominent Clinton backers to do so. (Georgia Congressman John Lewis, an early Clinton supporter, has made a somewhat similar switch, announcing that he will cast his super-delegate vote at the Democratic National Convention for the candidate who won his congressional district: Obama.)

Second, he called on Clinton to quit the race, saying, "The time has come for all of us to unite and get ready for the general election in the fall."

Third, he called Bill Clinton, a McGovern staffer from 1972 who appointed the South Dakota as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations (UN) Food and Agriculture Agencies, and explained his decision.

More on Freshwater

The investigation of John Freshwater (the teacher promoting Christianity in the public schools, whom I wrote about several weeks ago) continues. Jason Pitzl-Waters at the Wild Hunt has a nice roundup of the stories.

The School Made Me Do It

As 14-year-old Brandon McInerney is prosecuted for the murder of his 15-year-old classmate Lawrence King, his lawyer prepares a pernicious defense. King was an openly gay student, and McInerney murdered King because of King's sexual orientation. That's not in dispute. But McInerney's lawyer argues that McInerney had no other options!

From the Los Angeles Times:

Educators should have moved aggressively to quell rising tensions between the two boys, which began when King openly flirted with McInerney, said Deputy Public Defender William Quest.

Instead, administrators were so intent on nurturing King as he explored his sexuality, allowing him to come to school wearing feminine makeup and accessories, that they downplayed the turmoil that his behavior was causing on campus, Quest said.

On Feb. 12, McInerney shot King in the back of the head with a handgun as first-period classes were beginning, according to police. McInerney's inability to see another way to solve his problem is partly the fault of the school system, his attorney said.

Oh, I see! If only the school system had denied King his freedom of speech, McInerney would not have had to shoot him? This is the worst legal defense I've heard in a long time; it's hateful and is another example of blame-the-victim logic.