And then there were six, after the former vice presidential nominee Joe Lieberman bowed to the inevitable and withdrew from the race for the Democratic nomination.

Last night's "Super 7" primaries told us little we didn't already know -- the momentum is still firmly behind John Kerry, Howard Dean is still on the slide, and John Edwards and Wesley Clark are still scrapping it out somewhere in the middle.

Kerry has, however, shown that he can appeal to voters across the United States rather than just the north-east.

The key issue here is electability.

Democrats are desperate to choose a candidate who can pose a real challenge to the Bush organisational and financial juggernaut.

At the moment, John Kerry is seen as their best hope.

That doesn't bode well for former Democratic high-flyer, Howard Dean. Party supporters want to focus their attention on uniting rather than continuing to back a candidate who insists on soldiering on.

With little to show for his campaign so far and dwindling finances, Dean is down and almost out.