It is the most normal thing in nomination races to announce when you've clinched the nomination. McCain did it earlier this year. Kerry did it in 2004. Gore and Bush did it in 2000.  ETC.  

And I cannot imagine Obama getting on his high horse and getting indignant about Clinton leaving the race. He has not done that even once and it would clearly be terrible politics for him to do it at that point.

are we still whining about this?

Before you work yourself into a dither perhaps you should wait to see if this supposed party happens and what form it takes? If he simply announces that he now has a majority of all available elected delegates would he not be correct? Is he not allowed to say it?

Respectfully, this seems like you are making a case for guilt by analogy. Both cases are of one party using media momentum to their advantage. That has no direct bearing on the validity of their underlying claims.

A long, detailed examination of a extremely close race in 2000 shows Gore may well have been the winner, or at least shows significant irregularities in certain counties.

Now, Sen. Obama holds the lead over Sen. Clinton by every metric, and baring any unforeseen events is considered almost certain to be the Democratic nominee (even optimistic estimates from Sen. Clinton's camp put her odds at somewhere around 5-10% at best). The remaining primaries are all heavily favored for one candidate and end up being a near perfect split. Florida and Michigan will soon be seated in some capacity and will almost certainly still place Sen. Clinton more than 100 pledged delegate behind. The super delegate movement has been towards Obama for the last month, and in the last week has accelerated rapidly.

I am happy my candidate won, but take no particular satisfaction from the fact Sen. Clinton had to lose for that to happen, and I think the sentiment, if imperfectly expressed, is the same in the Obama camp. That being said, we are passed the point where claiming Obama is the almost certain nominee of the party is empty posturing.

The Obama camp stressing this is certainly a PR move, but it is no more underhanded than the Clinton camp stressing how Sen. Clinton is a fighter and is hanging tough. It's simply the public image each has to project going forward, and as it stands I don't believe either is malicious.

If Obama wins a majority of pledged delegates on May 20, he will have a majority of pledged delegates, and he will be declaring that he has a majority of pledged delegates.

In fact, if enough supers have endorsed by then, he may be able to claim victory in the entire nomination battle.

The difference here between 2008 and 2000 is that in 2000 the election was still up in the air. If Obama has a majority of pledged delegates or a majority of all the delegates and he declares that, then I don't see what the problem is.

Oh yeah, I forgot, he stole all those delegates from Hillary.

Obama has actually won this election, unlike Bush in 2000.

So no, it's not quite the same.

I would have sympathy for this argument if Hillary's campaign weren't trying to change the rules at the end of the game on Michigan and Florida.  They are counting on people being stupid and not knowing that she agreed to the elections not counting.  That is all their is to know.  If Obama tried the same bullshit, I would have been pissed as hell at him, and probably would have shifted to Hillary.

On April 8th of 1992 a full two months before he would secure enough delegates to claim the nomination Bill's staff was calling him the presumptive nominee:

[Apr 8, 1992] Clinton's showing yesterday convinced many Democrats that, even with the depth of concern about his character and his ability to win in November within his own party, his nomination is now all but assured. "Bill Clinton is the presumptive nominee," declared Mark Mellman

the magic number is 2024.  According to the DNC, after one candidate has reached the magic number, MI and FL will be settled and the primary will be officially over.

That's AFTER one candidate has reached 2024.  So Hillary supporters, don't hang your hopes on her winning using MI and FL.  It ain't gonna happen.

Absolutly, he will look like an idiot an as arrogant as ever if he pulls this stunt.