| 9:49 PM: | They speak, but don't plan a meeting. Clinton and Obama talked a few minutes ago, at 12:16 a.m., Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs said. Ben Smith. | |
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| 9:32 PM: | Hillary Clinton for veep -- the petition. Clinton loyalist Lanny Davis is kicking off a drive to get the Senator from New York on Barack Obama's ticket. Salon. | |
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| 9:32 PM: | Obama gains 59.5 supers on the day. In what was the greatest single-day superdelegate gain in this campaign for either candidate, Obama -- now the Democratic presumptive nominee -- gained 59.5 superdelegates today. MSNBC. | |
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| 9:32 PM: | The Opinionator: The Long Goodbye. What exactly does Hillary Clinton think she’s doing? NYT. | |
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| 9:31 PM: | Hill Democrats fall in line behind Obama. Democrats on Capitol Hill finally can begin to exploit their control of the House and Senate to support Obama. Politico. | |
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| 8:18 PM: | Clinton stops short of conceding to Obama. Democrat Hillary Clinton stopped short of conceding her party's presidential contest to winning rival Barack Obama on Tuesday and said she would consult party leaders in coming days on how to proceed. Reuters. | |
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| 8:13 PM: | What role now for Clinton? Hillary Clinton stopped short of conceding the Democratic nomination to Barack Obama and said she would consult party leaders in coming days on how to proceed. Reuters. | |
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| 7:48 PM: | 16 more supers for Obama. Obama picked up 16 more superdelegates bunched in one fell swoop press release minutes after the polls closed in Montana. MSNBC. | |
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| 7:48 PM: | MP3 of Barack Obama's speech. What else to say -- a kickass Presidential speech. Dave Winer. | |
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| 7:46 PM: | Clinton Wants Veep Nomination. On MSNBC, Tim Russert and Tom Brokaw independently report tonight that Sen. Hillary Clinton would accept an invitation to be Sen. Barack Obama's running mate, according to "very senior" Clinton aides. Clinton did not concede tonight in order to keep maximum leverage on Obama. Political Wire. | |
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| 7:46 PM: | Obama wins Montana. The networks call Montana for the Illinois senator, ending an unprecedented 50-state campaign. Ben Smith. | |
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| 7:45 PM: | A Consensus: McCain's Was A Dud. There's an almost universal dismay across the blogosphere at McCain's flat, odd and underwhelming speech. Andrew Sullivan. | |
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| 7:35 PM: | Obama cushions nomination with primary delegates. Sen. Barack Obama moved well beyond the goal line Tuesday night by picking up delegates in the last two Democratic primaries, hours after he clinched the party's nomination for president. AP. | |
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| 7:34 PM: | Thoughts About Obama's Speech. What a different emotional register from John McCain's; Obama seems on the verge of tears; the enormous crowd in the Xcel center seems ready to lift Obama on its shoulders; the much smaller audience for McCain's speech interrupted his remarks with stilted cheers. Marc Ambinder. | |
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| 7:33 PM: | Obama On Clinton. As classy as she was classless; as graceful as she was rigid; as generous as she was stingy. And an indicator that he would gladly have her in his cabinet but not on his ticket. Andrew Sullivan. | |
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| 7:32 PM: | McCain targets Obama in final primary night. Sen. John McCain portrayed himself as the candidate of "right change" Tuesday night, as Sen. Barack Obama moved closer to becoming the Democratic candidate to challenge the presumptive GOP nominee in November. CNN. | |
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| 7:28 PM: | Clinton's Ghastly Speech. I wasn't the only one appalled: What Democrats needed from Clinton tonight, aside from at last CONCEDING to Obama, was to go after McCain with everything she had. Andrew Sullivan. | |
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| 7:06 PM: | HRC backer launching VP petition drive. Clinton friend and supporter Lanny Davis is announcing this evening a petition drive to make Hillary Clinton the Democratic vice presidential nominee. Davis, holding court outside the Baruch College gym Tuesday night, said he was starting the petition drive without the coordination of the Clinton campaign, and without their endorsement. MSNBC. | |
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| 7:04 PM: | Clinton: No Exit Tonight. Sen. Barack Obama locked up the Democratic nomination tonight, but you wouldn't know it from listening to Sen. Hillary Clinton. WSJ. | |
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| 6:41 PM: | MSNBC: Barack Obama Is Presumptive Nominee. Although South Dakota is too early to call, MSNBC has just declared Barack Obama as the presumptive nominee based on the pledged delegates he will win out of South Dakota tonight. MyDD. | |
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| 6:40 PM: | Clinton wins South Dakota primary, CNN projects. Sen. Hillary Clinton will win the South Dakota primary, according to CNN projections based on exit poll results and actual voting. Despite Clinton's win in South Dakota, she falls short of the Democratic nomination for president. CNN. | |
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| 6:39 PM: | Awwwkward. An uncomfortable, close-to-home exchange between FNC's Wallace and ex-Bush official Karl Rove over McCain 's choice of New Orleans to deliver his first general-election speech: Rove: "I think I would have picked a blue state ... a state that's up for grabs." Natl Journal. | |
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| 6:30 PM: | Transcript of Obama's speech. Thanks to Taegan for posting this! CQ. | |
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| 6:17 PM: | Obama looks for Democratic unity against McCain in November. Barack Obama will take up the reins of the Democratic drive for the White House on Tuesday night, calling on Democrats to come together for a "common effort to chart a new course for America." CNN. | |
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| 6:11 PM: | Jesse Jackson hails historic Obama win. Jesse Jackson, a two-time U.S. presidential candidate and long-time black civil rights leader, on Tuesday called Barack Obama's march to capture the Democratic presidential nomination a "transformational moment." Reuters. | |
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| 6:10 PM: | Obama Nation. It is one of the most spectacular upsets in American political history. Craig Crawford. | |
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| 6:10 PM: | Obama clinches Democratic nomination. Sen. Barack Obama has clinched the Democratic presidential nomination, CNN projects as polls in the South Dakota primary closed at 9 p.m. ET. CNN. | |
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| 6:07 PM: | Yes We Did. As we absorb the news that an African-American is now the presumptive nominee for the presidency of the United States, a few words. No one should allow the tortuous end of this primary journey to obscure the passion and insurrection... Andrew Sullivan. | |
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| 6:06 PM: | Nets Call The Race For Obama. As polls close in SD ... 9 p.m. ET. Barack Obama is the presumptive Democratic nominee for President of the United States." -- MSNBC's Olbermann . Natl Journal. | |
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| 5:59 PM: | McCain's contrast. The signs behind him in New Orleans say "A Leader We Can Believe In," a variation of Obama's slogan: "Change we can believe in." Ben Smith. | |
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| 5:59 PM: | McCain welcomes Obama with fresh criticism. Republican John McCain welcomed Democrat Barack Obama to the fall campaign for the White House on Tuesday with a blistering attack on his judgment and a charge that he "voted to deny funds to the soldiers who have done a brilliant job" in Iraq. AP. | |
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| 5:58 PM: | Clinton voters warm up to Obama. Early exit polls in South Dakota and Montana show Clinton voters are more likely to support Obama in general election. Salon. | |
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| 5:20 PM: | A die-hard super. Blog: Clinton picks up Wyoming superdelegate Cynthia Nunley. Ben Smith. | |
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| 5:20 PM: | The old fashion way. Hillary Clinton's speech Tuesday night is being held in a college gymnasium two stories below ground. Blackberries and cell phones don't work, so reporters have to rely on old fashion phone lines to communicate.
 CNN. | |
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| 5:18 PM: | Another Congressional Wave Election. In the face of declining confidence in President Bush and the GOP, Democracy Corps has completed a new survey showing Democrats with a seven-point lead over their Republican opponents deep in GOP territory. Democracy Corps. | |
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| 5:08 PM: | Clinton at Baruch. Clinton's election night event has the hallmarks of a rapidly thrown together event, not a major symbolic moment. Ben Smith. | |
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| 5:07 PM: | Oh, the agony! Watching CNN with David Gerson and James Carville and Lou Dobbs expressing so much concern about the pain the Clintons must be feeling... Daily Kos. | |
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| 4:57 PM: | What Primary? Candidates Stick to Their Day Jobs Too. As their primary drama plays out, both Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama teamed with different Republicans to introduce legislation today. ABC. | |
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| 4:54 PM: | Obama Campaign Reacts To McCain Speech Excerpts. Bill Burton, Obama's chief spokesman, e-mails the first official response of the 2008 general election campaign. Marc Ambinder. | |
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| 4:53 PM: | Where They Are Wednesday. Obama: Washington, DC; New York, NY Clinton: Washington, DC McCain: Baton Rouge, LA Time. | |
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| 4:53 PM: | Source: Clinton raised VP issue. Hillary Clinton herself directly raised the issue of serving as Clinton's running mate in a conference call with New York lawmakers earlier Tuesday, a source who was on the call tells CNN's Candy Crowley. CNN. | |
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| 4:53 PM: | Schneider: The generation gap persists. The youngest and oldest voters in South Dakota's Democratic primary overwhelmingly support their candidate -- but as in many contests this primary season, both groups have landed on opposite sides of the Democratic divide, according to early exit polls. CNN. | |
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| 4:38 PM: | One way or another, tonight is Obama's. No matter what happens in South Dakota and Montana, it now appears certain that the Illinois senator is ready to go over the top. Salon. | |
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| 4:38 PM: | Senate superdelegates keep powder dry. Many uncommitted Senate superdelegates say they will wait until Wednesday to see what Clinton does. Politico. | |
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| 4:37 PM: | Schneider: South Dakota Dems want joint ticket. The hard-fought Democratic primary race is winding down, but the veepstakes are just starting to heat up. CNN. | |
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| 4:37 PM: | 10 To Go. Barack Obama's latest Super D backers... Natl Journal. | |
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| 4:36 PM: | Extended McCain Speech Excerpts. He's going to speak at about 8:30 pm ET tonight. Here are some more excerpts... Marc Ambinder. | |
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| 4:24 PM: | Waxman Seeks FBI's Leak Papers. The chairman of a House investigative committee yesterday asked for copies of the FBI's interview of Vice President Cheney in the Valerie Plame Wilson leak investigation to determine whether Cheney instructed his former chief of staff, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, to leak the CIA officer's name. Washington Post. | |
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| 4:07 PM: | Obama 10 delegates short. Barack Obama is now 10 delegates short of clinching the Democratic nomination, CNN estimates. The Illinois senator now leads Clinton by 195 delegates in overall delegates, 124 in pledged delegates, and 71 in superdelegates. CNN. | |
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| 4:04 PM: | Questions To Ask About The Unity Ticket. So, will she be on the ticket? To answer that question, we have to figure out the right question to ask. (1) Does Clinton want to be vice president?... Marc Ambinder. | |
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| 4:00 PM: | California Rep. Sam Farr for Obama. Blog: California Rep. Sam Farr will endorse Obama tonight. Ben Smith. | |
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| 3:58 PM: | McCain his "own man" The presumptive GOP nominee to emphasize his independence from Bush in a New Orleans "general election" speech. Salon. | |
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| 3:57 PM: | Obama To Virginia. Sen. Barack Obama will formally begin his presidential campaign with stops in Virginia on Thursday. Marc Ambinder. | |
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| 3:57 PM: | What McCain Will Say Tonight. McCain seems pretty defensive ... trying to pre-but the notion that he is a lackey of President Bush. If the nomination is going to start with this debate, it starts on Barack Obama's turf. Marc Ambinder. | |
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| 3:56 PM: | Tim Johnson, not making it easy. If Clinton wins South Dakota, the senator -- who has endorsed Obama -- will supporter her, he tells a local paper. South Dakota's too Ben Smith. | |
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| 3:56 PM: | Obama Recruiting Clinton’s Top Fund-Raisers. As Senator Barack Obama edges closer to the Democratic presidential nomination, his campaign is gearing up to recruit many of Senator Hillary Clinton’s top fund-raisers, a move that could provide him with a huge infusion of cash if the two camps can get past the rancor of the primary season. NYT. | |
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| 3:52 PM: | Dems split on effect of long primary race. Seventeen months after the Democratic presidential race began and five months after voters first weighed in at the polls, voters in the remaining two states are split on whether the lengthy primary season has benefited the party... CNN. | |
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| 3:51 PM: | Senate to explore primary process. The Senate Rules Committee will explore the Democratic primary process The Crypt. | |
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| 3:50 PM: | New York newspaper endorses Clinton for VP. With Barack Obama on the verge of securing enough delegates to become the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, a New York newspaper signaled it will use its editorial page Wednesday to urge him to pick rival Hillary Clinton as his running mate. CNN. | |
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| 3:49 PM: | South Dakota Exit Polls: Clinton Has the Edge. Sen. Barack Obama may have the Democratic nomination locked up, but Sen. Hillary Clinton was leading among key voting blocs in South Dakota, according to early exit poll data. The state has an almost entirely white electorate, and nearly six out of ten white women favored Clinton... WSJ. | |
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| 3:48 PM: | McCain to Recognize Obama as the Nominee, Praise Clinton. The presumptive GOP nominee kicks off his general election campaign in 9 pm ET Kenner, Louisiana speech where he plans to use harsh words to discredit Obama's characterization of him as repeating a third Bush term. Time. | |
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| 3:46 PM: | Schneider: Obama's blue-collar problem persists. We've talked all season about Barack Obama's problem with those white working class voters, those blue collar voters. Is that problem persisting? CNN. | |
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| 3:46 PM: | Obama 11 away. Obama gets three more and is now 11 away. MSNBC. | |
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| 3:10 PM: | The flood: Obama 14 away. The last hour has seen a flurry of endorsements for Obama, and he is now within just 14 delegates of crossing the needed 2,118. MSNBC. | |
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| 3:09 PM: | Priest who mocked Sen. Clinton gets temporary leave of absence. The priest who mocked Hillary Clinton during a visit to Trinity United Church of Christ has been asked by church leadership to take a temporary -- and unwilling -- leave of absence to reflect on his remarks. CNN. | |
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| 3:09 PM: | Obama 12 delegates from claiming Democratic nomination. Thanks to a deluge of superdelegate endorsements Tuesday, Barack Obama is currently a dozen delegates away from the 2,118 required to claim the Democratic nomination. The Illinois senator has 2,106 delegates in the latest CNN count. CNN. | |
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| 3:07 PM: | Pfleger suspended from his church by diocese. Cardinal George gets what Barack Obama only understood under pressure: The firebrand pastor of St. Sabina parish was removed from his duties there Tuesday, according to a statement released by the Archdiocese of Chicago. Redstate. | |
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| 3:07 PM: | McCain: I'm Not Bush III. When Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., speaks Tuesday evening from New Orleans, he is hoping to rebut the Democratic Party's oft-repeated charge that he represents a "third Bush term." ABC. | |
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| 2:50 PM: | Early results from MT, SD Dem primary polls. Perhaps it's appropriate for Democratic primaries that wound up being so closely fought to the very end - voters in Montana and South Dakota were fairly evenly split on whether the long primary season left the party energized or divided. AP. | |
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| 2:50 PM: | Pawlenty Paints Obama as Lightweight. Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R) lashed into Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., on Tuesday for not having more first-hand knowledge of Iraq and painted him as a lightweight who is out of step. ABC. | |
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| 2:49 PM: | Johnson switches to Obama. DC superdelegate Ben Johnson, a former Clinton appointee last seen sitting on the Rules and Bylaws Committee, switches to Obama. Ben Smith. | |
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| 2:49 PM: | More delegates for Obama. California Rep. Maxine Waters is switching sides and endorsing Barack Obama, and a number of delegates once pledged to John Edwards are coming over as well. Salon. | |
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| 2:48 PM: | Oklahoma superdelegate endorses Obama. Oklahoma Democratic Party chairman and uncommitted superdelegate Ivan Holmes will endorse Barack Obama on Tuesday evening, CNN has learned. CNN. | |
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| 2:39 PM: | Mayhill Fowler, Citizen Reporter. Mayhill Fowler, the woman who taped Bill Clinton calling a Vanity Fair reporter a "scumbag" the other day, is the same Mayhill Fowler who immortalized Barack Obama’s "bitter" remarks in San Francisco, two months ago. New York. | |
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| 2:36 PM: | Real FriendFeed feed for NewsJunk. I created an official FriendFeed user for NewsJunk. You should probably follow this one instead of the imaginary one I've been linking to. Sorry, still figuring this stuff out. :-) NewsJunk. | |
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| 2:08 PM: | Penn Urges Clinton to Stay in Race. Newsday reports former Clinton top strategist Mark Penn, "reviled by many on Hillary's staff but still an important voice in the candidate's ear, has emerged (to no one's surprise) as the strongest advocate of her remaining in the race regardless of what happens in the next 24 hours, according to sources inside the campaign." Political Wire. | |
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| 2:08 PM: | RNC points to earlier Carter interview skeptical of Obama qualifications. Minutes after a spokesman for President Carter confirmed reports Tuesday that he was officially endorsing Barack Obama's presidential bid, the Republican National Committee sent reporters a two-year-old YouTube clip in which he said the Illinois senator was not ready for the Oval Office. CNN. | |
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| 2:04 PM: | Sen. Robert Byrd staying in hospital. U.S. Sen. Robert Byrd, the chamber's longest-serving member, will remain in a Washington hospital for "several more days" for treatment of a mild infection, his office said Tuesday. CNN. | |
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| 2:02 PM: | MSNBC.com jumps the gun on Montana. MSNBC briefly called the Montana race. Politico. | |
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| 1:58 PM: | In name of 'unity', Ausman endorses Clinton. The man who, on Saturday, presented a challenge to the DNC's rules committee for seating Florida's delegation confirms to NBC NEWS that he is lending his superdelegate vote to Clinton. "Sen. Obama's already got the nomination," Florida's Jon Ausman told NBC NEWS. "I want to send a small message with my half vote that we need to be unified." MSNBC. | |
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| 1:57 PM: | A Miss. super for Obama. She's a state party official. The Obama count now leaves him 28 to pick up today, and he could pick up between 15 and 20 tonight. Ben Smith. | |
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| 1:48 PM: | On the Doorstep of Doing Something Really Important. Obama uber-strategist David Axelrod talks exclusively to The Page just after learning that the Associated Press has declared that Obama has secured the majority of delegates to the Democratic convention and will win the nomination. Time. | |
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| 1:47 PM: | Obama and the death of Clintonism. Now that Barack Obama has the nomination wrapped up, everyone will be looking for the symbolic moment when he takes Clinton's hand and they raise their arms together. Slate. | |
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| 1:46 PM: | Those undecided Senate superdelegates. Senate reporters chased down almost every uncommitted superdelegate they could catch in the hallways today, trying to find out who they'd endorse -- and when. MSNBC. | |
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| 1:32 PM: | Republicans begin to highlight Clinton criticism of Obama. Hours before the polls closed Tuesday in the final two Democratic presidential primaries, the Republican National Committee began circulating a video of Hillary Clinton questioning Barack Obama's qualifications to be commander-in-chief... CNN. | |
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| 1:32 PM: | Superdelegate flood sinks Clinton. The long-awaited superdelegate flood sinks Clinton down to the waterline. Slate. | |
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| 1:23 PM: | Flowers Arrive at the Clintons home. Although the Clinton camp denied that Sen. Hillary Clinton will concede the race at her speech at New York’s Baruch College tonight, flowers began arriving at the Clintons Chappaqua home following an Associated Press report saying Clinton stood ready to concede... WSJ. | |
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| 1:22 PM: | Penn wants Clinton to push on... Mark Penn, who still has -- at least -- Bill Clinton's ear is pushing for Clinton to fight on, Glenn Thrush reports. Ben Smith. | |
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| 1:21 PM: | Clinton: Will Do 'Whatever it Takes' to Elect a Democrat. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) said she was willing to do "whatever it takes" to elect a Democrat in the fall in response to a question from Rep. Nydia Velasquez about the vice presidency during a recently completed conference call... Washington Post. | |
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| 1:20 PM: | Gay marriage amendment on California November ballot. California voters will decide in November whether to amend the state constitution to limit marriage to unions between men and women and thereby reverse the state's recent Supreme Court decision. Reuters. | |
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| 1:18 PM: | Blitzer: Did the primary season strengthen Obama or weaken him? It was exactly one year ago today when I moderated the Democratic presidential debate in New Hampshire. CNN. | |
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| 1:10 PM: | Clinton says she's open to veep slot. Hillary Clinton reportedly tells supporters she'd consider being Barack Obama's running mate, a shift from her earlier public position. Salon. | |
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| 12:37 PM: | What Obama And Clinton Underestimate. Obama underestimates "that any delay in choosing a running mate will only bring rampant speculation about whether he is going to pick Clinton – and if not, why not – speculation so extreme it might warp and dominate the entire process (and potentially create reams of critical and distracting press for his eventual Veep selection)." Clinton underestimates "how uninterested the Obamas are in having her family join the ticket (a longstanding sensibility..." CNN. | |
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| 12:33 PM: | How Clinton Can Begin The Unification Process. One very senior Democrat who has not endorsed Obama advises the Clinton campaign to divert the campaign's charter from New York to Minnesota today, to join Sen. Obama on stage, and then fly back to Washington and vouche for Obama's pro-Jewish/pro-Israeli credentials at AIPAC. Marc Ambinder. | |
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| 12:33 PM: | Will Clinton supporters back McCain? Guess who Hillary Clinton's new best friend is? The presumptive Republican nominee, John McCain, is singing Hillary's praises to the heavens. McCain to a group of Tennessee voters: "I admire and respect her. Hillary Clinton has inspired generations of American women to believe that they can reach the highest office in this nation... CNN. | |
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| 12:32 PM: | Former President Carter says he will endorse Obama. Former President Carter says he'll endorse Democrat Barack Obama after the polls close on the final primaries.... AP. | |
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| 12:31 PM: | Clinton Campaign's Message Discipline Becomes Message Anarchy. "for all intents and purposes, the two senior [Clinton] officials said, the campaign is over" Daily Kos. | |
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| 12:30 PM: | Turnout Strong in South Dakota and Montana. Both states were expecting record turnout, but in South Dakota, which is holding both Republican and Democratic contests today, it remains unclear whether those records will be broken. NYT. | |
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| 12:02 PM: | Clinton Could Concede While Not Conceding. Ben Smith explains that this morning's AP story that Sen. Hillary Clinton would concede that Obama has the necessary delegates and the later denials from Clinton campaign officials that she would concede the race both could be correct. Political Wire. | |
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| 11:45 AM: | Did Cheney Tell Libby to Do It? Former vice presidential chief of staff I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby told the FBI that it was "possible" that Vice President Cheney instructed him to disseminate information about CIA agent Valerie Plame to the press, according to a redacted FBI report recently examined by Congressional investigators. Washington Post. | |
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| 11:39 AM: | Why Clinton Will Hold Onto Her Delegates (For Now) Three main reasons: Respect for her closest supporters; Just in case; Leverage.. Open Left. | |
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| 11:38 AM: | Salazar: Superdelegates waiting out of "respect" Uncommitted Colorado senator says he could endorse as soon as Wednesday. The Crypt. | |
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| 11:38 AM: | Clinton Campaign Confronts AP Report. Battling a report that suggests things are nearing an end for Clinton NYT. | |
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| 11:38 AM: | Dueling RNC/DNC memos. RNC releases a memo that highlights Democratic Party disunity. DNC is responding with its own memo... MSNBC. | |
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| 11:36 AM: | Byrd to remain in Hospital. Sen. Robert Byrd, D-West Virginia, will remain in the hospital for several days... CNN. | |
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| 11:33 AM: | AP count includes "private" commitments. It's a bit hard to know what to make of this: AP just called the race based on its own delegate count. Ben Smith. | |
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| 11:28 AM: | Obama readies for nod while Clinton eyes exit. Obama inches closer to the magic delegate math needed to clinch victory, and Clinton signals that her campaign is coming to a close. Politico. | |
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| 11:27 AM: | Bill Clinton Strikes Back. The notion that the publication of a a single article on this subject far too late to impact the process represents a vast pro-Obama conspiracy in the press is laughable. Yglesias. | |
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| 11:27 AM: | MyDD: Obama Clinches Nomination. This story is whipping around Blackberries across the country. Hillary's campaign is trying to thread a needle between acknowledging this reality and not "conceding" to try to preserve some sort of leverage with the Obama campaign. But there are a lot of hours between now and the moment Hillary Clinton has to step on stage in New York, during which time more supers will come out for Obama... MyDD. | |
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| 10:39 AM: | AP tally: Obama effectively clinches nomination. Barack Obama effectively clinched the Democratic presidential nomination Tuesday, based on an Associated Press tally of convention delegates, becoming the first black candidate ever to lead his party into a fall campaign for the White House. AP. | |
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| 10:28 AM: | Obama Prepares to Declare Victory. Barack Obama is still putting the finishing touches on his St. Paul speech -- and working on his jump shot -- in preparation for declaring victory in the tightly contested Democratic nomination. ABC. | |
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| 10:19 AM: | McCain to highlight differences with Bush in New Orleans. Just days after holding a closed door fundraiser with President Bush in Arizona, presumptive Republican nominee John McCain will put space between himself and the president tonight in a prime time speech to be given just outside of New Orleans. CNN. | |
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| 10:18 AM: | A Maine super for Obama. Per an Obama source: Maine DNC member Jennifer DeChant is backing him. Ben Smith. | |
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| 10:18 AM: | Human Rights Campaign Says McCain Represents "Four More Years Of Anti-Gay Policies." The nation's top federal gay lobbying group says in a report today that John McCain is anti-gay and that despite pretenses to moderation and toleration, he is just as dangerous for gays as George W. Bush. Marc Ambinder. | |
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| 10:11 AM: | Gallup Daily: Obama 52%, Clinton 43% as Final Votes Cast. With the final Democratic primary votes being cast today, Barack Obama continues to lead Hillary Clinton in national Democrats' nomination preferences, 52% to 43%. Both Clinton and Obama are closely matched with John McCain in the latest presidential election trial heats. Gallup. | |
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| 10:11 AM: | Orchids For HRC. What passes for news in Chappaqua today, per NBC/NJ's Mike Memoli , who's parked in front of the Clintons' house: A bit of a flurry as there was a delivery of flowers to Hillary Clinton 's home. Natl Journal. | |
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| 9:59 AM: | RNC Memo: Dems In Chaos. The Republican National Committee will send out an agenda-setting memo later this afternoon that portrays the Democratic Party in a state of disarray and claims that legions of Hillary Clinton voters are poised to jump to John McCain. Marc Ambinder. | |
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| 9:59 AM: | Supers: Obama gets six so far. Might this be the start of a potential flood. Water is under the door. The towels are down. MSNBC. | |
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| 9:54 AM: | How Clinton Can Begin The Unification Process. One very senior Democrat who has not endorsed Obama advises the Clinton campaign to divert the campaign's charter from New York to Minnesota today, to join Sen. Obama on stage. Marc Ambinder. | |
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| 9:45 AM: | Clinton backer Feinstein says it's time to end. Feinstein told CNN it's time for Clinton to call it quits. CNN. | |
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| 9:35 AM: | Run Of Cong. Endorsements Begun. Two members of the House of Representatives have just announced their endorsement of Barack Obama. Time. | |
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| 9:34 AM: | Montana Supers to Commit Tonight. All signs point to Obama picking them up. Daily Kos. | |
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| 9:32 AM: | Clinton Campaign Says She Will Not Concede Tonight. Shortly after the Associated Press reported that Sen. Hillary Clinton was going to concede that Sen. Barack Obama has the delegates to win the nomination in her speech tonight in New York, ClintonÂ’s campaign issued a one-line statement refuting the report... WSJ. | |
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| 9:31 AM: | What does the Clinton campaign's denial mean? Aides to Hillary Clinton are denying a report that Clinton is set to admit that Barack Obama has the delegates necessary for the nomination, but their statements are open to interpretation. Salon. | |
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| 9:30 AM: | Steady stream of superdelegates coming out for Obama. The Drip, Drip Is Now A Steady Stream: Obama needs 33 delegates to secure the Dem nomination. Natl Journal. | |
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| 9:15 AM: | Where They Are Tuesday. Clinton: Chappaqua, New York, NY. Obama: Chicago, IL, St. Paul, MN. McCain: Kenner, LA. Time. | |
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| 9:14 AM: | A Mass. super for Obama. Rep. John Olver endorses the Illinois Senator. Ben Smith. | |
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| 9:13 AM: | The time machine that Hillary Clinton should build. On Monday, as the primary season was about to end, Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell, one of Hillary Clinton's most prominent supporters, offered a valedictory. Slate. | |
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| 9:12 AM: | Kennedy walking hospital halls after brain surgery. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy enjoyed "a restful night's sleep" and was walking hospital hallways on Tuesday, one day after undergoing an aggressive brain surgery aimed at slicing away at a cancerous tumor to give chemotherapy and radiation treatments a chance to work. AP. | |
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| 9:10 AM: | Bill Clinton sorry for 'scumbag' remarks, spokesman says. Hillary Clinton's campaign has apologized for "inappropriate" language used by her husband in response to what it called an "outrageously unfair" article about the former president. CNN. | |
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| 9:10 AM: | Lots Of Superdelegates Come Out For Obama. "Today, two Michigan superdelegates endorsed Barack Obama. DNC Members Debbie Dingell and Rick Wiener backed Obama today. Earlier this morning, Michigan superdelegate Joyce Lalonde also backed Barack Obama." Marc Ambinder. | |
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| 9:09 AM: | The Superdelegate Tally. Today's superdelegate scorecard. NYT. | |
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| 8:51 AM: | Clinton's party of war. Top advisers still hoping for a political miracle. Politico. | |
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| 8:51 AM: | HIS BIG NIGHT. The Illinois Senator is expected to take the stage after the Montana polls close at 10 pm ET -- and perhaps declare victory -- at the Xcel Energy Center, the site of the GOP convention in September. Exact time of speech unknown. Time. | |
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| 8:34 AM: | Clinton not prepared to admit defeat, campaign chairman says. Hillary Clinton is "absolutely" not prepared to admit Barack Obama has beaten her in the race for the Democratic nomination for president, her campaign chairman said Tuesday. CNN. | |
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| 8:33 AM: | Veepstakes Alert: Pawlenty Hosts Anti-Obama Call. The Republican National Committee has asked Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R-MN) to bracket Sen. Barack Obama's celebration in St. Paul tonight. Pawlenty is subject to the highest level -- accurately -- of vice presidential speculation, and his words will be very carefully parsed. He's hosting a 3:20 pm ET conference call with reporters. Marc Ambinder. | |
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| 8:33 AM: | Clinton Team: AP Is "Incorrect" Per the Hillary Clinton campaign: "The AP story is incorrect. Senator Clinton will not concede the nomination this evening." Natl Journal. | |
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| 8:24 AM: | Clinton will concede delegate race to Obama. Clinton will concede Tuesday night that Barack Obama has the delegates to secure the Democratic nomination, campaign officials said, effectively ending her bid to be the nation's first female president.... AP. | |
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| 8:22 AM: | Clinton Will Acknowledge Reality Tonight. Her aides still don't expect Sen. Clinton to formally concede and endorse Sen. Barack Obama tonight, but if, as seems likely, Obama ends up with more than 2118 delegates by the time she speaks, Sen. Clinton is certain to publicly acknowledge that Obama has crossed the threshold. Marc Ambinder. | |
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| 8:15 AM: | Insiders see VP hint in planned Clinton message. Sen. Hillary Clinton is poised to deliver a message Tuesday "that she will do whatever it takes" to put a Democrat in the White House -- a message that Sen. Barack Obama insiders say indicates she would accept an offer to be Obama's running mate if asked. CNN. | |
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| 7:49 AM: | Esquire's Granger didn't e-mail Clinton. Blog: Esquire editor didn't e-mail Clinton. Politico. | |
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| 7:48 AM: | Clinton Negotiating Debt With Obama? The nation’s most historic nomination race in the history of History may be coming to an end today, but probably not, because Hillary Clinton can’t call it quits until she has figured out how to get her campaign out of tens of millions of dollars of debt. Wonkette. | |
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| 7:47 AM: | Senators Hold 10:30 am ET Presser on The Hill. Media availability will include Clinton-supporting Sens. Schumer from New York and Boxer from California, along with others. Superdelegate endorsement questions likely to come up. Time. | |
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| 7:45 AM: | Campaign vs Community Organizing. The media and the net has focused on Obama's background as a community organizer, and his community organizer approach to campaigning. His is supposed to be a "bottom up" instead of a "top down" approach... Open Left. | |
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| 7:38 AM: | With Barr in the Mix, North Carolina Clearly in Play. Early indications seem to suggest that Barr could have a real impact in at least one reddish-purple state, moving it closer to the toss-up category. MyDD. | |
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| 6:39 AM: | Montana Governor, Senators Set To Jump Off Fence. The three highest ranking Democrats in Montana plan to wade into the Democratic presidential race as soon as the state's primary is decided tonight, according to a source familiar with the decision. Washington Post. | |
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| 6:39 AM: | Sen. Robert Byrd, 90, hospitalized, spokesman says. Sen. Robert Byrd was hospitalized Monday night, a spokesman said. The 90-year-old Democrat from West Virginia appeared lethargic when he arrived at his Senate office Monday afternoon in preparation for a vote on global warming, the spokesman said... CNN. | |
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| 6:38 AM: | The Next Battle. On MSNBC, hits the Senator on judgment, experience and all around "toughness." On the farm bill: Obama "wasn’t tough enough to stand up and put the American people ahead of the special interests." On Mideast peace: "Senator Obama pursues a path that would make the region more dangerous..." Time. | |
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| 6:24 AM: | TV Interview Potpourri. Daschle on MSNBC: Very gracious towards the Clintons, including the former president’s Vanity Fair comments. Time. | |
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| 6:04 AM: | Gallup Poll: Obama Edges McCain Nationally. A new USA Today/Gallup poll shows Sen. Barack Obama leading Sen. John McCain nationally, among registered voters, 47% to 44%. Key findings... Political Wire. | |
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| 5:49 AM: | The strongest argument against adding Hillary to the ticket. Then again, the strongest argument against adding Hillary to the ticket is the possibility that the Big Dog will lurch off the reservation, as he did, yet again, today. Time. | |
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| 5:48 AM: | Clinton aides float convention fight. Ickes reviews tactical options, including challenging Michigan delegation. Politico. | |
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| 5:48 AM: | Pelosi concentrates power in office. Speaker overrules influential chairmen on key issues and forces through a controversial rules change. Politico. | |
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| 5:48 AM: | Breaking the glass ceiling. Hillary Clinton's candidacy is a profound accomplishment that could be belittled by an eleventh-hour blame game. Politico. | |
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| 5:48 AM: | Clinton isn't ready to pack it in. A candidate and a campaign that hate losing face a possible end of the road. Politico. | |
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| 5:46 AM: | Can Obama Go Over the Top Tonight? The Obama campaign would like nothing more than to pass the magic number tonight and declare victory. They know that if they can credibly claim 2,118 delegates this evening (or tomorrow), the force generated by the media coverage of the... Time. | |
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| 5:45 AM: | After six months, can Democratic race be over? After six months and 61 contests, the Democratic primary season finally draws to a close Tuesday, but the big question is whether this historic and at times bitter battle for the party's presidential nomination will also come to a close. CNN. | |
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| 4:44 AM: | McAuliffe: if Obama gets the number, she will call him nominee. Clinton campaign chair McAuliffe on NBC’s "Today" says "I think if Senator Obama gets the number she will congratulate him and call him the nominee." Politico: Clinton adviser Ickes tells supporters on Monday conference call that Obama supers can change their minds and "that is why this nominating process must be resolved in August... Time. | |
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| 3:50 AM: | Obama might be able to claim victory tonight but Clinton is unlikely to withdraw right away. The Washington Post leads with, and almost everyone else fronts, a look at how Sen. Barack Obama is working toward being able to claim victory after the last two primaries today while Sen. Hillary Clinton is deciding what to do next. Slate. | |
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| 3:36 AM: | Campaign Stops: McCain and Obama’s Excellent Adventure. The pressures of campaigning have made John McCain and Barack Obama more experienced, more cautious and less exceptional than they once were. NYT. | |
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| 3:36 AM: | Op-Ed Columnist: A Gift to the G.O.P. The Democratic Party’s war with itself can only make you wonder about its vaunted claims of moral superiority when it comes to tolerance. NYT. | |
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| 3:35 AM: | Vanity Fair writer defends article on Bill Clinton. The Vanity Fair journalist who infuriated the Clinton campaign over the weekend with an explosive article that questions former President Clinton's business dealings and behavior since leaving the White House strongly defended his reporting Monday. CNN. | |
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| 3:33 AM: | Primary season set to end with Obama poised to win. Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton heaved toward the finish line in their exhaustive Democratic presidential odyssey with Obama poised to claim victory and Clinton facing the prospects of having to abandon a quest that once seemed a sure shot but became one of long odds. AP. | |
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| 3:32 AM: | Clinton’s Governors to sell Switch to Obama. The AP reports on how eleven of the nation’s governors will have to "perform political sleight of hand" if Obama clinches the Democratic nomination for president. Time. | |
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| 3:31 AM: | Five things to watch in South Dakota. This contest stands out for what’s missing: A foregone conclusion. Politico. | |
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| 3:31 AM: | Bill Clinton regrets language used in tirade. Add to former President Clinton's regrets this campaign season a stream of invective while commenting Monday on an unflattering article in Vanity Fair magazine. AP. | |
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| 3:30 AM: | Pelosi concentrates power in office. Speaker overrules influential chairmen on key issues and forces through a controversial rules change. Politico. | |
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