By Steve Clemons

Like some of these folks mentioned on Washington Metroblogging, I am a registered Independent — so I didn’t get to take part in the voting activity that took place today in DC’s closed primary.

So after years and years of doing nothing with the detainees at Guantanamo, the Bush administration decides to launch the “al Qaeda trials” — which the administration is comparing to Nuremberg — during this stretch of the political campaign season.

I tend to disagree with Scott Paul below about the role of superdelegates in this year’s contest. Reform and redirection of the process may make sense for the future — but once the gun went off this year, my view is that you leave the structure as it was when the race began.

I’ve just written this remembrance of Tom Lantos for TPMCafe. His shift on Israel-Palestine negotiations and American engagement with Iran and the Middle East writ large can’t be called a full-on conversion, but his shift in a progressive direction was significant and should be remembered.

Via John Aravosis, comedian Andy Cobb and friends go after John McCain in an Obama “Yes We Can” parody.

This afternoon, I am scheduled to speak to about 20 Lantos Humanity in Action Fellows about US foreign policy, the campaigns and blogging — and I’ve just learned the sad news that House Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Tom Lantos (D-CA) has just passed away today.

Last week, I participated in a televised show with New York public radio host and all round smart guy Brian Lehrer in a discussion about new media, blogs, Facebook, microjournalism and how it was changing the structural ecosystem of political organizing and participation.

Congressman Wayne Gilchrest (R-MD) has been under attack by the right wing of his party lately and has had a tougher than normal primary race — which will take place tomorrow. Gilchrest was one of only two Republican congressman who voted in favor of a timeline for withdrawal of US troops from Iraq.

Both the Clinton and Obama camps expected Hillary Clinton to take Maine — but thus far with 44% of precincts in, Obama is leading by 15 points.

Hillary Clinton Campaign Director Patti Solis Doyle has stepped down. Maggie Williams will now take her place. Mark Penn stays where he is, for the time being. Big news.