Hillarys and Valleys

It's a Pennsylvania win for Hillary Clinton tonight, but perhaps piece of shrapnel in the Democratic party's chances in November. The superdelegates make the math all but impossible to figure, but Obama still appears to be poised to win the nomination. What will he look like when he gets to Denver? Clinton's relative success in Pennsylvania has come through taking shots at everything but Obama's dog, which means we can expect much more of the same as we head into the last stretch of primaries. (Flashpoint rule: Negative campaigning only works when you're behind, when you're ahead, and when you're even.) But it means while John McCain's white boots and cowboy hat stay pristine for the next few months, Obama (and likely Clinton, too) will look like the barn floor.
Ironic, isn't it? The wife of "America's First Black President" may keep America from having one just yet.
And that laughter you hear is from Republicans who were sure this election year was a lost cause.
- Devin

BIG Week

If you're a news or political junkie, this is a big and intriguing week. Tuesday, the Pennsylvania primary may (or may not) tell us a lot about how long the Obama/Clinton match will go on. Back in Detroit, the Geoffrey Fieger trial gets underway. And then this coming weekend, the controversial Revered Jeremiah Wright comes to town for the NAACP dinner at Cobo.
The primary and Jeremiah Wright will get the bigger headlines, but the Fieger trial may win the fascination race. Attorneys all over town (few of whom would be described as Fieger fans) will be watching a master at work. Gerry Spence is a legendary trial lawyer (the best in America according to more than a few court watchers). But his perfect record of the past five decades will be put on the line in a case that seems impossible to win. Of course, keep in mind, that's a specialty for both Spence and Fieger. It's going to be great stuff.
- Devin

Up In The Air

We've become conditioned to doubt that a merger is going to be all that beneficial. (Daimler Chrysler anyone?) But it's been fascinating to see how little fear or criticism has developed around the announcement that Northwest and Delta are going into a marriage that will create the world's biggest airline. Is the near universal embrace of this partnership a sign of the general optimism regarding its success, or are we so starved for an economic booster-shot in southeast Michigan that we're willing to skip right past critical examination for fear that we might find trouble with the treasure chest that's been delivered to our door?
Well, at the risk of spitting on the candle of hope, keep an eye on several areas of potential worry. The pilots, mechanics and flight attendants could all cause union worries. (A flight attendant tells me that not only are they concerned about marrying Delta's non-union flight attendants with the unionized group from Northwest, but they've been told it could take up to a year to train each other on the other airline's planes.) But with the price of jet fuel pushing ticket prices ever higher, there will be more than a little opposition on Capitol Hill for a merger that will take one more layer of competition out of the quickly depleting airline cake. So while dreams of the Detroit-Willow Run aerotropolis dance in your head, nothing is a done deal yet.
- Devin