I’m happy to see my progressive Congressman, Peter DeFazio jump in to endorse Obama. I wonder if he’ll be on hand later today.

As Obama has more strength in the West than he does in the South, I’ve touted our former Governor Kitzhaber as a solid VP candidate. He has a proven record of reaching across the aisle to get legislation passed, particularly the Oregon Health Plan. As a former ER doctor, Kitzhaber has also remained active as a champion of universal healthcare coverage. Consider this innovative aim.

DeFazio was joined by more super endorsements, including a crossover who formerly supported Clinton, so he now takes the superdelegate lead for the first time.

As I predicted Tuesday, the tide of supers committing is growing this week. Two weeks from today, that tide will have grown so strong that Clinton is likely to feel compelled to concede the nomination. Between the post-primary speeches on the evening of 5/20 and the end of that week (5/23), the general election campaign will officially launch.

I hope for both the candidates and their families, a long, luxurious Memorial Day weekend off so they can take a real breather from a long, exhausting and emotionally intense process.

Update: word has it that there’s a lot of behind-the-scenes negotiations occurring now. Discredited journalist and Clinton sycophant Stephanopoulous has been on Good Morning America today still pitching Clinton as angling for the VP slot. I consider that an improbable outcome. Other matters, like Clinton’s campaign debts, delegate seating accords, etc, are more likely, and such negotiations still may not yield an official withdrawal till the 5/20-5/23 period, or perhaps after the 5/13 WV primary, where Clinton could depart on a high note.