The Time cover is symbolic of what has happened over the last couple of days:
Obama hasn't declared victory. Hillary hasn't conceded. Polls haven't yet recorded a huge Obama leap. Superdelegates haven't broken en masse. Clinton hasn't lost her Florida and Michigan challenges. Obama hasn't won a majority of pledged delegates yet or popular votes yet or total delegates yet. The convention hasn't been held.
But the media has decided, en masse, that it's time for Clinton to leave the stage. It started with Tim Russert on Tuesday night, then the NYPost called her "toast" and Drudge called him "The nominee," and now Time and everyone else is chasing along.
Time even has it's "Hillary's five mistakes" piece of cliche journalism out. It's all political tactics -- not a single mention of Hillary's Iraq vote, which was her single biggest mistake, which was the foundation of every single Obama argument.
You don't have to disagree one bit with the analysis that says Hillary doesn't have a chance, or have one ounce of sympathy for her, to be uncomfortable with the sense that a bunch of unelected people are attempting to declare it over before it's over.
Thrush in Newsday today looks at the "veil of gloom" that has descended over the Clinton campaign, quoting one NY supporter: "I think the challenge now is letting her leave with dignity and grace and letting the process go forward. She has got to leave on a high note. She's got to determine her own exit strategy."
But he also quotes top Hillary fundraiser Hassan Namazee: "As long as you are wearing the uniform, you have a chance to win the game." And Janison, in his column, recalls the Red Sox at 0-3 and David Paterson the day before Eliot Spitzer became Client No. 9, and sharpens it to a fine point:
"In political races, toast is a relative term."