Buh-Bye

Dean drops out — mostly:

Howard Dean will end his campaign for the presidential nomination and oversee a new effort to keep his issues alive and his supporters organized on behalf of Democratic causes, two party officials said Wednesday.

Dean was to announce his plans at a news conference Wednesday afternoon, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The sources said the shape of the new effort is still to be determined but that Dean would eventually support the Democratic Party’s nominee. One official said Dean would help elect Democrats to Congress in the fall.

That last line makes a third-party run look unlikely. Sorry, conspiracy fans.