This is perhaps the clearest sign so far. The fact that the Obama high command is lining up behind Hillary is no coincidence.
The clearest sign of what? That the party establishment backs her? We've known that for some time, no? 'Will she actually run?' is a separate question. Of course, she probably will, but moves like this don't really speak to that, one way or the other. This stuff necessarily happens without any direct input from the candidate herself, since any such input would be illegal.
It is the clearest sign that the party establishment is convinced that she will run. They would not be going through all this trouble if there was considerable uncertainty. The actions being taken here go way beyond a mere verbal endorsement.
It sounds like everyone has talked themselves into believing that she's running because they desperately want her to run. The party establishment wants her in the race, and in their own minds, greasing the wheels like this will make that happen. But there is still the fundamental point that she needs to want it herself. From reading her public statements, it sounds like she's leaning towards jumping in, but I wouldn't bet my life on it.
I think the Establishment's current actions speak to the reality that the lead time and preparation required for a presidential campaign is far greater than it was a generation ago. As far as Messina & Co. making these moves out of "desperation," I find it hard to believe they would waste all this time, energy and money on someone who had signaled little interest in running. They are aware of insider information which we can only hypothesize about and are quite familiar with the Dance of the Seven Veils which precedes a run. Clinton isn't going to show her cards at this early date and she understands this game as well as anyone.
