Clinton preparing graceful exit?

After a day full of conflicting signals, Hillary Clinton's campaign seems to be sending clearer ones today -- that she will gracefully exit the stage and won't take her fight to the convention.

The Associated Press is reporting that she plans to acknowledge in her speech tonight that Barack Obama has the delegates for the nomination. The AP is also saying advisers have said that Clinton has made a strategic decision to suspend her campaign and not formally end it, giving her leverage to negotiate with Obama on various matters including a possible vice presidential nomination for her. She also wants to press him on issues he should focus on in the fall, such as health care.

The Clinton campaign, however, is denying the AP report. "The AP story is incorrect. Senator Clinton will not concede the nomination this evening," the statement said.

Clinton campaign chairman Terry McAuliffe did say this morning that once Obama reaches the majority of delegates, "I think Hillary Clinton will congratulate him and call him the nominee."

McAuliffe had been among those as late as Monday excoriating the Democratic National Committee rules committee's decision on the disputed Florida and Michigan delegates and reserving the right to appeal the ruling.

But on NBC's "Today" show this morning, he said, "I don't think she's going to go to the credentials committee."

And the New York Times reported today that Clinton is prepared to give what aides are calling a farewell speech tonight summing up her candidacy.