Clinton win came 'at half time' : Obama backer
by Christi Parsons
A lot of Texas residents couldn't wait to see the press pack its bags and leave town after Hillary Clinton claimed a victory in the state's primary a few weeks ago.
But Barack Obama supporters want people to come back and re-open the record book, now that the combined results of the primary and last weekend's caucuses show the Illinois senator actually ended up winning the most delegates, by an Associated Press count of 99-94.
"It appears the Clinton campaign declared victory at half time," said Rep. Chet Edwards, a Texas Democrat who helpfully reminds that "first downs" don't count in the score of a football game.
"I do believe people left Texas prematurely, as far as the media," said Rep. Charlie Gonzales, another Texas Democrat and Obama supporter who joined Edwards for a conversation with reporters this afternoon.
There was a strict norm of politeness being observed during the conference call, as the Obama supporters argued their guy should be the party nominee without explicitly suggesting that Hillary Clinton ought to get out of the race.
It was the same line Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota walked yesterday, as she endorsed Obama while studiously avoiding any negative talk of Clinton -- especially anything that looked like a call for her to get out of the game.
Still, Rep. Edwards was pretty direct in his critique of Clinton.
"I think in some ways," he said, "Hillary Clinton would unify Republicans in a way that John McCain cannot."
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