Delegates count, but how do you count them?

And what happens to those Democratic delegates already pledged to John Edwards? He may be out of the race, but 26 delegates are still attached to his ticket.

Basically, those delegates may be pledged, but they’re not legally bound to him.

According to the DNC: “As a sign of good faith, most former candidates will ‘release’ their delegates from voting for them; however, this is not required, and only has a symbolic meaning to it. Delegates can vote for another presidential candidate without being ‘released.’“

Out of personal loyalty to him or his cause, they may also choose to follow whomever Edwards chooses to endorse. That is if he ever decides to make an endorsement.

Super Delegates, super confusing?
And then, there’s the mother lode of all delegate questions: What are Super Delegates, and what makes them so super?

There are 796 in all, who are elected Democratic officials, such as governors and senators. They all have an ex officio, or an automatic vote at the convention.

Super Delegates amount to about 40 percent of the total number of delegates needed to clinch the Democratic nomination.

Some Super Delegates have publicly declared their support for Obama or Clinton. But the Super Delegate tally is often in flux: Just three days ago, Rep. Steve Cohen, D–Tenn., announced that he was supporting Obama.

NBC News isn’t including Super Delegates in its current tally. That’s because current Super Delegate pledges are just public commitments. They can change their minds at any point, and it’s not considered shameful or unusual; it’s just practical politics.

"Everyone has a different standard for counting these. We have decided to keep these separate and attribute it to the campaigns. We are in the process of figuring out a better way to survey the super delegates," said NBC's Todd.

History has taught us that that some Super Delegates will jump ship if the winds of electoral change are upon them. And sometimes they’ll just lie low and wait for a failing candidate to drop out before they switch camps.

Buyer’s remorse can be a powerful motivator.

Case in point: The 2004 Democratic race when some of Howard Dean’s delegates crept away from him after his defeat in the Iowa caucuses.

So, as you can see, there are several variables contributing to what has become a confusing Democratic race for president. With Clinton and Obama running so closely, these variables may loom ever larger.

Picking the president: The candidates Click to visit that candidate's MSNBC page or click the XML symbol for an RSS feed. John McCain                Barack Obama

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