Eyes on November

That, and other news, in today's Political Panorama.

There is no doubt this morning that the political commentariat has declared that the race for the Democratic presidential nomination is essentially over. What started with Tim Russert shortly after midnight continued through the morning, with George Stephanopoulos declaring on "Good Morning America," "The nomination fight is over." Obviously they have been proven wrong time and again throughout this primary season, with Hillary Clinton seizing on calls for her to exit the race as a chance to show new signs of endurance.

But time is running out, and some Obama supporters are even minimizing Clinton's Indiana victory as tainted by the "Limbaugh effect." Tom Hayden writes on Huffington Post, "Barack had the voters at his back against all the forces trying to bring him down. He held his lead in North Carolina, and only the Rush Limbaugh Republican vote stands between Barack and victory in Indiana."

What will be telling is how much Clinton raises online in the next day or so, as well as her trip to Los Angeles next week, when she is scheduled to hold a fund-raiser at the Century Plaza Hotel on Thursday. Will it sell out? How enthusiastic will the crowd be? Will there be any sense that she's working to pay off campaign debt?

By the way, here's my coverage from last night, posted on Variety.com.

Debate Date: The New York Observer reports that YouTube, Google and the TV networks are looking to line up their own presidential debates, doing an end run around the official commission.