The shape of things to come

John Cole has, I think, the best take on all the "Clinton will concede"/"Clinton will not concede" reports we are reading today.

Politics is about power and Clinton still has power. Not enough to get her the nomination, but certainly enough to give her team a say in the future of the party. A quick concession would deflate that power, so she has to keep up the pretense of a campaign just to keep that power in play. The minute she concedes, her influence in the party will drop dramatically (not completely, few big players ever lose all their power). She has to play this out to the end.

Obama's best option is to let her do it. Nothing would be gained by forcing her out. It would just piss off the wrong people if he did.

The race is over. Everyone knows this. This is no longer the Clinton's party. But it is not yet Obama's party. Again, everyone knows this. The shape of the party will be dictated, in large part, by what happens in the next few days.

That's why things seem so chaotic. It's because it is chaotic. But it will pass. We just have to be patient.