The national media is hoping the Clinton-Obama drama goes all summer along. Why? It’s much more fun to cover the former First Lady and her hubby the ex-pres than the well-spoken Illinois senator – Barack Obama – who just doesn’t have enough baggage to keep it interesting.

Sure, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright will rear its ugly head again in the fall, but Hillary Clinton’s barking on the campaign trail has become the standard sound bite on all network and cable news for the past three months.  The idea that Clinton won’t be on the campaign trail is really going to throw the pundits for a loop.  What’s Chelsea going to do now?  Who’s Bill going to wave his finger at?  Who is Hillary going to drink beer with?

Obama has shown that he’s just not going to get caught up into ‘photo op’ politics.  Remember, the bowling incident? the partially-eaten waffles at the small town diner? Shooting hoops with the UNC basketball team?  Just not very Obama-like, and quite unpresidential.

Without the daily Clinton-Obama barbs against each other, the media may be forced to cover Obama and McCain as the likely nominees.  Just not the same kind of sound bites.  Obama is too careful and speechifying; McCain too predictable and well, boring. 

Now, big money takes over and the campaigns will be orchestrated like big money corporations – and not like unusual campaigns that have overcome the political naysayers who could have never predicted an Obama-McCain showdown a year ago – well, even six months ago.

So, while the banter goes on and on about Hillary’s long shot of winning the Democratic nomition, they are struggling to find new story lines that don’t involve her.  Chris Matthews, Sean Hannity, Tim Russert and Bill O’Reilly and the rest of the political news noisemakers, really don’t want her to disappear from the headlines.  They need her because they know, love and hate her at the same time.  When she does drop out, somehow her presence will still seep its way into the coverage … even after Obama gets the nomination.