I'm not suggesting that Hillary Clinton drop out of the race. I'm not saying that Barack Obama should simply quit. But what I am saying, most emphatically, is that one of them needs to bite the bullet, cut their losses, and take one, most literally, for the team.

The Democratic primaries have been dragging on, and no one with absolute certainty can predict who is going to win. America's eyes are fixed on the Barack/Hillary showdown, and both candidates seem determined to place the other in the most negative light possible in order to be the eventual Democratic presidential nominee. But what neither seems to care about is that the Democratic Party will have fully beaten down one candidate and wounded the other. Then they will send the wounded one on to the general election in November. You'd never have an injured kicker try to kick the game-winning field goal. Likewise, you shouldn't send a wounded candidate to compete in the general election, and all that Clinton and Obama are doing is injuring one another.

John McCain makes headlines by visiting college campuses and talking to students, in essence focusing fully on the general election. But Clinton and Obama make headlines by duking it out at yet another Democratic debate or throwing insults at each other. They can't focus on the issues that will come up before November because they are still battling the politics of the primaries. In fact, the negative emotion growing between them could be turning voters against both candidates, at a point when it is crucial that the Democrats win the election.

After eight years of President Bush, I want a change in the government. I'm tired of the reputation of my country slowly decaying in the world's eyes. I'm tired of a bumbling leader who continually finds new ways to limit my freedom (Patriot Act, for starters). My hope was that the Democrats could bring me that change. But, since both Hillary and Barack seem determined to play out the primaries to the bitter end, it appears that I may be shit out of luck.

It's time to stop the insults, time to stop the mudslinging. Democrats, as a whole, need to come together and keep their eyes on the prize: the White House, not the Democratic National Convention. Of course, the next most logical question to ask is who should be the one to gracefully step down? Currently, Obama has 1869 delegate votes, while Clinton only has 1696 delegate votes. To be the official candidate one of them needs to rack up 2025 delegate votes. It's a very close race, with Obama leading by a slim margin. My suggestion would be for one of them to stop looking at the dropout choice as giving up, and instead realize that it would be a sacrifice made for the greater good of the party. It's a strategyto win, and the Democratic Party is the one running for the election - stop splitting up the team.

Elise Baun is an LSA senior.