Four corners

There's no point in watching the returns tonight. We already know the winner. We've already heard the loser concede. Look the other way; nothing to see here.

That is the Obama strategy for tonight's West Virginia primaries. In fact, it's the strategy for the rest of the Democratic nomination. And, yes, there is still a nomination going on. Despite declarations by pundits and lowly bloggers that the race is over and the general election has finally begun, the race is not, technically over, and Clinton will continue to campaign.

She's the only one who will continue to campaign. And she's out there pleading with voters in West Virginia, Kentucky and Puerto Rico to send a message. On Monday, Clinton campaign chairman Terry McAuliffe said his candidate will win the popular vote when all is said and done. He predicted lopsided victories in the aforementioned states, plus Florida and Michigan could turn the tide.

Of course the Clinton message is spin; of course it's a stretch to think the campaign can still find a way to win. But it seems silly for the Obama campaign to simply let Clinton do this. Why not compete?

Pardon the sports analogies, but they are so apparent to me that I must make them. Obama's strategy is like defensive indifference in baseball or like the prevent defense in football. But since we are talking about Obama, I'll use a basketball analogy. Obama's strategy is like Dean Smith's Four Corners offense. Before there was a shot clock, Smith would have his team spread out on the court and pass the ball around, killing the clock. He did it with his team comfortably ahead.

But in 1977, Smith used the Four Corners offense against Marquette in the national championship game. The strategy failed miserably and Smith lost his chance at a title. In this video (go about 3 minutes in), Dave Hanners, an assistant on the team, said, "There were 4,000 other examples where it worked out. And everybody remembers this one."

I don't think Hillary Clinton is Marquette. Instead of the game being tied, it seems like Obama has a 20-point lead. But the 1977 championship proved that playing safe can sometimes cost you the game.