Even though she may get more votes, Sen. Hillary Clinton will lose Pennsylvania tomorrow. Her contention that she, not Sen. Barak Obama, is the more viable of two Democrats going head-to-head against Senator John McCain will gain no traction when Pennsylvania tallies its primary votes. Trailing Obama by more than 700,000 in the overall popular vote, Clinton must not only significantly close that margin, but more importantly, demonstrate she can decisively win the key battleground states, such Pennsylvania. She needs a big boost from the Keystone State to jettison her through the remaining critical primaries in North Carolina and Indiana. Pennsylvania Democratic voters will provide no such support.

Co-incidently, but not irrelevant, Obama leads Clinton by approximately 141 delegates. Pennsylvania offers up 188 delegates, which 103 are elected by congressional districts. If you can cut through the gobbledy gook of the state Democratic Committee’s 30 page business plan on how to run delegates, 158 of 187 total delegates, of which 103 delegates are from each congressional district are allocated on the results of the actual primate vote. Philadelphia and its critical suburbs offer up 43 delegates, Pittsburgh, 22. Bottom line is that Philly and Pittsburgh decide 63% of the delegates selected by Congressional District.

The bad news for the former First Lady:

First, most of the major newspapers, Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia Daily News, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Allentown Morning Call, Harrisburg Patriot News, York Daily Record have endorsed Obama. Only the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review endorsed Clinton, the Erie Times-News straddles the fence. Ironically, (as of press-time) the Scranton Times-Tribune, from where Clinton’s parents hail, has declined to endorse the favorite-daughter. All of the critical Philadelphia suburban newspapers making endorsements, went Obama.

Secondly, the latest press accounts shows Obama outspent Clinton $10 million to $4 million on television in Pennsylvania. In this past week, Obama outspent Clinton $3 million to $1.4 million. $1 million a week is a big buy in TV Land for Pennsylvania.

Third, Obama has succeeded in getting more Front Page ink by staging better events, the Independence Mall rally, with 35,000 in attendance was a campaign record.

Fourth, Clinton didn’t run a full slate delegates, a cardinal sin in a state like Pennsylvania.

Fifth, all opinion polls shows Clinton’s once double-digit lead now shrunk to six points or less. The Zogby Poll, conducted after the televised debate, shows Clinton with a two point lead, one point below the 4.1 point margin of error, with 8% still undecided. The Morning Call/Muhlenberg College poll has both statistically dead-even, Clinton 47% to Obama 46% of Lehigh Valley voters, one of the traditional steel-town regions that Billy Joel waxes about in Allentown. The more prestigious and traditionally reliable Quinnipiac Poll had Clinton and the Franklin & Marshal poll, by the dean of Pennsylvania’s political analysts, Terry Madonna, pegged Clinton with a 6 point lead. But these polls were conducted over a week ago, before the ABC televised debate and the climactic Obama TV rush.

Now, the good news for Mrs. Clinton:

First, the ugliest political battle is not between Obama and Clinton, but between contenders to succeed The Vince, Philly’s Democratic powerhouse and 162-count indicted state Senator Vince Fumo. The Democratic machine will be cranked up to get out the vote in the Rocky-style neighborhoods.

Second, many of the delegates within each congressional district, although technically bound to one candidate or another, are in reality, Super Delegates in disguise. For example, both the current and former Mayor of Philadelphia, the District Attorney, the City Controller, four present or former City Council members, a state legislator, and the Montgomery County minority Commissioner (and former Congressman and U.S. Senate candidate) are running as Clinton delegates. Obama can claim only one state senator and two state representatives as marquee names, but one of the state representatives has to fend off his own primary challenge from a strong machine candidate.

Third, the undecided voters, can still be swayed by Obama constantly tripping over his "bitter" Pennsylvanians remark, or defending his pastor or his Weatherman black radical colleague, or being peeved that the press is no longer fawning over him. This however is a big if, and in all likelihood, if the undecideds break half and half, Obama pulls ahead.

The only really good news for Mrs. Clinton is that 100% of all adults are registered to vote in Philadelphia. According to the U.S. Census, there are 1,077,718 adults residing in Philly. The voter registration for the Primary is 1,030,949. Now the election board folks know that 892,850 are real voters, the rest haven’t been scratched off the list. (Still that’s a 82% registered to voting age population ratio, whereas nationwide the ratio ranges from 50% to 75%). The number of votes coming from beyond the dead will be staggering!.

Clinton’s "I didn’t have sex with that woman" husband openly admitted while campaigning last week that the Senator has to win by ten points or more to be viable. Of course, the Clintons will invent the means to remain in the race after what will be labeled as the Great Pennsylvania Collapse. But a collapse it will be. Republicans should start planning now for the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, Barak Obama.