A beloved elder statesman of the Democratic Party has told Hillary Clinton that it time to drop out, and has switched his support to Barack Obama.

“Hillary, of course, will make the decision as to if and when she ends her campaign. But I hope that she reaches that decision soon so that we can concentrate on a unified party capable of winning the White House next November,” he said.

George McGovern is a close friend of the Clintons, but he said this morning that Hillary Clinton can’t win the nomination, so it is time for her to drop out. The straw that broke the camel’s back for him was the closeness of the results in Indiana, and Obama’s big win in North Carolina.

The money hasn’t come in today like what happened after her win in Pennsylvania. In fact, it has been revealed that she loaned herself another $6.4 million over the past month. The Clinton campaign has vowed to solider on, however she is out of cash and options.

Most likely, she will keep running and pick up a few delegates in the contests that is supposed to win, West Virginia, Kentucky, Puerto Rico, but with Obama now only 172 delegates short of the nomination. She can at best only provide token opposition.

I think we are going to see more superdelegates switching away from Clinton as the month goes on. McGovern and other party elders don’t want to see a replay of 1980. They are now looking at party unity, and see no reason to keep this going, when there is now one candidate on the verge of clinching the nomination.

The Clinton campaign can spin last night any way they want, but the reality is that the numbers don’t add up for her. I think Clinton will stay in the race to fundraise and pay off her campaign debt. She is probably holding out hope that something will happen to Obama and tidal wave of superdelegates will come to her.

I am one of the few Obama supporters who think that the party needs Clinton to stay in. If she stays in and loses fair and square, then her supporters have nothing to complain about. For Hillary Clinton, it is all about the exit strategy now.