by John McCormick
Updated at 8:25 CST
Sen. Barack Obama has won the Democratic caucuses and primaries in Louisiana, Nebraska and Washington State, according to television networks and The Associated Press.
The fresh wins will add to Obama's delegate count, after last week's Super Tuesday resulted in a nearly even delegate split that has set up what is expected to be a prolonged battle with Sen. Hillary Clinton.
The former first lady began Saturday with a slender delegate lead over Obama, 1,055 to 998, according to The Associated Press. The estimate includes pledged delegates won through voting, as well as separately chosen party and elected officials known as superdelegates.
Attention is increasing focusing on those superdelegates, since they may end up playing a major role in the Democratic nomination. Clinton and Obama are increasingly lobbying them for their support in the goal of acquiring the 2,025 delegates needed to win the nomination.
A total of 161 pledged Democratic delegates were at stake Saturday in the Louisiana primary and caucuses in Nebraska, Washington and the Virgin Islands.
Obama had buzzed through those three states in a two-day sprint late last week, filling a university arena in New Orleans and drawing enormous, raucous crowds for rallies in Omaha and Seattle.
Clinton focused on Washington State, while her former president husband campaigned on her behalf in Louisiana.
Seeking to put out some positive news on an otherwise cloudy night for her, Clinton's campaign announced it has raised $10 million from 100,000 donors since Super Tuesday.
With Sunday's Maine caucuses next up, Obama and Clinton campaigned there Saturday seeking that state's 24 pledged delegates, before making evening appearances at a state party fundraising dinner in Richmond, Va.




Comments
Hillary Clinton should explain how she was able to loan her campaign $5 million.
Specifically, did any of that money come from Bill Clinton's payments from Dubai for his services as a consultant?
Posted by: Steve Fought | February 9, 2008 9:21 PM
Yes....way to go!!!
Posted by: Roland | February 9, 2008 10:25 PM
Just look at the facial exoression Hillary is giving Obama. The self centered woman is not for the people, but for her self. What has she done for this nation. Nothing, thats what.
Posted by: Bill | February 9, 2008 11:00 PM
If the Clintons finagle those super-delegates into giving her the nomination, they will cause a disastrous split in the Democratic party that will haunt it for decades. The fear of a Clinton deceit is real because we know them for what they are. And what they are is not pretty.
Posted by: Jared | February 9, 2008 11:13 PM
The way I see it, it doesn't really matter who wins the presidential election - whether its McCain, Obama, Clinton, Huckabee ... whoever wins will be a tremendous improvement to the current lying, deceitful, megalomaniacal administration that has totally ruined our country for decades. The people who voted him in for a SECOND time should be the ones that suffer in the current economy most. I place a hex on you all!
Posted by: True Democrat | February 9, 2008 11:16 PM
In either election did King George receive the majority of the popular vote. The last election required the Supreme Court to crown him. This is the first time that the president in both elections did not get the majority. The people spoke but the people don't count.
Posted by: vet | February 9, 2008 11:35 PM
Obama did more than 'sweep' Clinton today, he crushed her with margins of 17-35%. Expect to see more of it in the weeks ahead.
Posted by: Jeff V. | February 9, 2008 11:37 PM
i think that the race between clinton and obama is going to be one for the ages. But i also feel that we have already had one clinton in office, and even though we never had a woman, i think that it time for a black president. Not because i am black, but because lets give someone other than white man the lead. I would feel the same if he was spanish or other. Plus i feel that Obama will do great with overseas policy
Posted by: Mark | February 10, 2008 12:11 AM
A candidate can fund their own campaign. Even if it is funds that Bill gained through doing consultant work, they would still qualify.
Sure, Hillary Clinton is in this for herself. Any presidential candidate has something personally to gain. Obama is just better at concealing it. They're both worthy candidates. Obama just needs to learn to be a bit more specific on what he can do for our nation that she can't do and rely less on AMBIGUOS promises of change. He needs to be more specific, else he'll be made a fool by the GOP candidate.
Posted by: Scott | February 10, 2008 12:26 AM
REPUBLICAN DISINFORMATION ALERT ...
On MSNBC tonight, an exit poll in Louisana showed that 50 percent of Obama supporters said that they would be dissatisfied with Hillary Clinton as the nominee, while roughly two thirds of the Clinton voters said they would be dissatisfied with Obama as the party standardbearer.
There was no racial breakdown of who in each camp would be dissatisfied.
However, GOP strategist Pat Buchanan said that the Democrats should fear Obama getting the nod because the two thirds of the Clinton supporters who were potentially dissatisfied with an Obama nomination were probably Caucasians, or white.
In other words, this former Richard Nixon operative is raising the spectre of "white flight" from the Democratic Party if Obama is the nominee.
However, Buchana's argument is mathematical horse pucky, as the total number of people voting in the Louisiana Democratic primary who say they would be dissatisfied if their candidate's opponent won the nomination is roughly the same.
Remember, Barack Obama won 56 percent to 37 percent, in Louisiana.
That means that approximately 28 percent of his voters would be dissatisfied if Hillary is the nominee.
Of Hillary's 37 percent of the total Democratic vote, two thirds of that would be roughly 24 percent of the total votes cast in the primary.
In other words, the disenchantment potential on both sides is statistically a wash.
Given the Clintons' penchant for race coding, they are likely to parrot the Buchanan argument, as least privately.
Don't be fooled.
MARTIN EDWIN ANDERSEN
Churchton, Maryland
Posted by: Martin Edwin "Mick" Andersen | February 10, 2008 1:00 AM
Obama will be swept away by all 50 states if he gets the dubious chance to run against an experienced and war tested John McCain.
Compare McCain to Obama:
When McCain was shot down over Vietnam and captured, all he offered the North Vietnamese was his name, rank and serial number, plus he rejected an offer to be released because his fellow soldiers couldn't go with him so he endured years of torture.
Barack Obama has admitted he was an illegal drug user and has done nothing except make deals with Tony Rezko for shady real estate deals.
Duuuuhhhhh!
Paulo
Posted by: Paulo | February 10, 2008 2:28 AM
Running hard with unlimiited money resources will not resolve domestic and foreign crises. Woe to the candidate elected who will be churned to sweet nothing between national bankrupcy, enhanced by Democrat spending, and Russian and Chinese demagogues who, with our European "friends", as silent observers, will choke us to death.
Jaxfax
Posted by: jack grogan | February 10, 2008 6:11 AM
That is why the Constitution make sure we are a Republic and not a Democratic Government. People will fall for anything that sounds good to their ears. My goodness, Obama has no experience??? Would any company want someone with no experience to run a company as a CEO? Be realistic. . .even if he wins; he's got a huge learning curve.
He hasn't accomplish anything for Illinois. Introducing a bill is not considered an accomplishment! But, passing a bill that can be measured with good results would be consider a success. . .
So far, I have only one thing to say: "Show me the experience?"
Posted by: Lou | February 10, 2008 7:09 AM
am i the only one who thinks that a clinton/obama ticket would be the most powerful and best solution? not to take anything away from anyone else...being that clinton does have plenty of experience and we'd be getting bill as part of the package deal to work the diplomacy issues...and obama as vice president to pull his weight there too and gaining the experience so many say he needs? let hillary have the first 8 years to do her job and prepare barack for the next 8. i need and want them both fixing what the bush's have messed up for the past couple decades. this is the first time in my life i get to vote FOR someone instead of against the others. stop the hate!
Posted by: chicago dog whisperer | February 10, 2008 9:12 AM
And when can we expect an article on the Republican caucuses in Washington and Louisiana?
The DNC Swamp announces it covers "national politics", but the only nation's politics it covers is the Liberal Democrat nation.
Posted by: Bruce | February 10, 2008 9:23 AM
Now we hear that Hillary will not release her tax returns until after she is the Democratic nominee--if that actually happens.
Why does she want to withhold such information from her fellow Democrats?
It seems pretty risky for the Democratic Party to nominate someone who will not level with it.
Why should we trust her? The Clintons don't exactly have reputations as truth tellers.
Diogenes would have given both a wide berth.
MARTIN EDWIN "MICK" ANDERSEN
Posted by: Martin Edwin "Mick" Andersen | February 10, 2008 10:04 AM
how is it that hillary can promise healthcare to all americans and bring troops home gradually? The amount of spending and money vs our gdp does not balance. This is a status thing for her and I believe she would say anything to get extra votes. Please if you care about change vote for someone who cares and can make a real change. Obama 08
Posted by: craig | February 10, 2008 10:27 AM
Paulo - Great comparisons on McCain V. Obama. Nevermind the fact that the polls already show Obama beating McCain.
If Billary gets the nod in the primary, every Republican will come together to make sure McCain is the winner. She is a polarizing figure.
Way to hit the issues - POW and drug use. You probably still think Bill didn't inhale. You think Monica would come up in a General? Renting the Lincoln bedroom? Whitewater? Why get stupid? Stick to the things that really matter.
Posted by: karl | February 10, 2008 10:54 AM
paulo, get ready for the great swift boat of fake war hero john mccain. he barely graduated and barely became a pilot. he also crashed five planes before he was captured. he should feel lucky to have been tortured, most people would have already been dead. he also only spent 20 hours of service in vietnam. he has also been in the senate long enough to be on both sides of every issue. sound familiar?
get used to it: President Obama
Posted by: crud | February 10, 2008 11:46 AM
You gotta love Paulo. He's just like his hero, Shrub. Whatever he says, read the opposite and you'll have the truth.
Posted by: weinerdog43 | February 10, 2008 12:23 PM
Barack the Vote
http://www.cafepress.com/123vote
Posted by: Barack the Vote | February 10, 2008 2:13 PM
PAOLO: your hero McCain says he doesn't caRE IF WE'RE IN almighty IRAQ (IT must be almighty;that's where all of our innocent lives and money-that we have to borrow from the CHINESE- are going to!!!!!!) for 100 YEARS!!! CAN YOU imagine what our status as a country is going to be if we follow McCain's plan??? we're ALREADY ON THE FAST TRACK TO BECOMING A third WORLD country!!!WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO ...BORROW FROM China LITERRALY until THE end OF TIME to finance this 'WAR'??? We sure in the hell can't pay for it OURSELVES!!!
Posted by: u OF c MOM | February 10, 2008 3:00 PM
John McCain can not be PRESIDENT!
why? he was born in Panama.. Therefore under the constitution he does not qualify to be President. It needs to be clarified by the Supreme Court.
He is a Citizen because both parents are but he is hold under the same rule as Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and any other Citizen NO BORN IN THE USA.
Can some Bring this to the Public… How is this possible when Under the Constitution he is not permitted to become President.
Posted by: Roger | February 10, 2008 6:25 PM
John McCain can not be PRESIDENT!
why? he was born in Panama.. Therefore under the constitution he does not qualify to be President. It needs to be clarified by the Supreme Court.
He is a Citizen because both parents are but he is hold under the same rule as Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and any other Citizen NO BORN IN THE USA.
Can some Bring this to the Public… How is this possible when Under the Constitution he is not permitted to become President.
Posted by: Roger | February 10, 2008 6:28 PM