Wellington Webb recognized the inevitable today, dropping out of the race to become the next chairman of the Democratic National Committee and endorsing former Governor Howard Dean of Vermont. Webb also endorsed Dean for President last year.

Webb never got much traction in a race that has been characterized both by a Dean juggernaut and a stop-Dean movement that has been looking for a candidate. As a Dean supporter, Webb was never seriously considered by the stop-Dean crowd. His best hope for success probably was that Dean and the stop-Dean people would fight each other to a standstill, with the pro-Dean Webb becoming a compromise candidate.

It would be too easy to say this marks the end of Webb’s political career. Actually, with Dean looking like a probable winner, Webb’s move puts him in a good position to get an important job in the DNC after the election for chair is over. We probably have not heard the last from Wellington Webb.