The big news politically on Monday was a major figure in the Democratic party endorsing the presumptive nominee.  But maybe the bigger news was who joined the campaign as a top aide.

The announcements about Al Gore and Patti Solis Doyle do tell a story, a story that should be encouraging for Democrats in the fall campaign.

First, everyone knows who Al Gore is and why his endorsement might be important.  There was lots of talk during the Democratic battle between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton about what Al Gore was going to do.

Some believed the former Vice President wanted to be a Kingmaker in determining who won the nomination.

Some wondered whether Gore was hoping for a deadlocked convention so he himself could grab the nomination.

But in the end, the former Vice President was like many in the Democratic Party: He waited until the voters had picked a winner before he decided to give his endorsement.

Does it make a difference?  Probably not, though it certainly doesn't hurt for Team Obama.

To me, the more important move was the addition of Patti Solis Doyle to the Obama campaign staff.  Doyle isn't just anyone.  She was Hillary Clinton's campaign manager for much of 2008, before being dumped in a shakeup aimed at salvaging the Clinton effort.

"Clinton Insiders Take Umbrage at Solis Doyle Move," was one headline on Monday afternoon, with some great quotes inside from Clinton operatives who feel like she lost the nomination for Hillary and was being rewarded by Team Obama. 

Maybe the headline should be, "Clinton Insiders Need To Realize The Race Is Over."

Again, I will say the True Believers in the Clinton Camp might want to get a little more sleep and figure out that the Clinton-Obama race won't be the lead story about Election 2008.  It will be about who wins between Obama and McCain.  Get used to it.

Even with all the battling between the Obama and Clinton camps, I still believe the Democrats will come back together in November more than many might expect right now.  John McCain has brought a lot of GOP'ers into his camp - the polls show he has strong Republican backing within the party already.

In politics, it's hard to remember in November what the heck happened back in June.  You want your party to win.

If Hillary were the nominee Al Gore would be endorsing her.  But she's not.