Clinton campaign officials are confirming that Hillary Clinton will concede in a speech tonight that Barack Obama has enough delegates to win the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination. According to the officials, Clinton won’t formally suspend her campaign so that she may maintain leverage to negotiate with Obama, including the possibility of securing a VP spot. Whispers have been getting louder in the last week that Clinton would accept such an offer if Obama asked, and Obama said yesterday that he wants to meet with Clinton “once the dust settles…at a time and place of her choosing.”

Obama is currently 42 delegates short of the nomination, while Clinton is still 201 delegates shy. Primaries today in South Dakota and Montana will divide 47 delegates, and around 200 superdelegates are still undeclared, though a number are expected to pledge to Obama tonight, pushing him over the edge and securing the nomination.

UPDATE, 10:52 a.m. CST: Clinton’s campaign co-chair is denying the reports that Clinton will concede to Obama tonight. Nonetheless, Obama still may be able to claim victory pending a rush of superdelegate endorsements after the last two Democratic primaries today.

UPDATE, 2:08 p.m. CST: Obama is now 35 delegates away from the nomination, having picked up six superdelegates so far today. He also picked up six of the 13 Florida delegates pledged to John Edwards. (Some of the delegates only get a half a vote, as per the decision of the Democratic Rules Committee this weekend.)

UPDATE, 4:00 p.m. CST: Clinton told New York lawmakers today that she’d be willing to accept the VP spot next to Barack Obama. The question is now whether he’ll offer it.

UPDATE, 6:03 p.m. CST: Obama is ten delegates away from clinching the Democratic nomination, according to CNN. Meanwhile, the Associated Press decided two hours ago that Obama has already clinched the nomination, though the campaign doesn’t appear to have broken out the bubbly quite yet.