Is it wishful thinking, or does Donnie Fowler know something that nobody else does? Fowler, who wants the DNC race to become a two-man contest with Howard Dean so that he can consolidate anti-Dean votes behind him, says in his newest blog entry that Simon Rosenberg has dropped out of contention.

Rosenberg hasn't picked up much support in the race, but neither has he made a public announcement about dropping out yet. There's no hint of Rosenberg's departure on his own Web site, and today's New York Times says Rosenberg is still in.

Maybe Rosenberg is getting out; it wouldn't be an unexpected development, given the givens. Maybe Fowler is right that a decision has already been made. Maybe daylight will bring an announcement. But in the etiquette of these things, any such announcement is Rosenberg's to make, not Donnie Fowler's. If Fowler wants to make a run at Howard Dean, he's going to need all the friends he can find. The Fowler and Rosenberg camps have spent much of the DNC race carping about one another. Fowler's premature announcement -- if that's what it is -- isn't going to help heal the wounds.