The Pennsylvania primary is perfect for Hillary except for one thing ...

[Alhena]

it is *6 weeks* after the previous primary is held in Mississippi. It is a closed primary on April 22, which favors Hillary, and Pennsylvania college students will have to vote during exam season. Assuming they even got registered to vote by the deadline on March 22- Obama will have to go all out to register young people and African-Americans between the March 4 primaries and March 22- hopefully they are already doing so now.

But the 6 weeks gap is the one hope I see for Obama in Pennsylvania. He will do nothing but campaign in Pennsylvania between March 4 and April 22 (except for brief campaigning in Mississippi), and I expect his charisma will win over many voters and at least make it close. He has to do so. Hillary has consistently led the polls in Pennsylvania by 20+ points, just as she has in Ohio.

I am as big an Obama supporter as anyone, but I will acknowledge that it is incumbent upon Obama to at least make it close in these states, since they are both crucial swing states. McCain's "tough guy" independent image will probably play well in Ohio and Pennsylvania, so if Hillary trounces Obama in Ohio and Pennsylvania after beating him badly in Florida (no campaigning, true, but the margin is still significant) then Obama will have no cause to complain if he loses the election. Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania are states we absolutely have to have in November.

Get it done, Obama.