Senators Clinton and Obama, Cleveland 2008, Diana Raabe

After last night’s primaries in Indiana and North Carolina, Senator Barack Obama gained enough delegates to put him only 183 away, including pledged superdelegates, from securing the democratic nomination. Senator Hillary Clinton
needs 324.5, including her pledged superdelegates, which is
mathematically impossible. Yet, on her way to West Virginia, where she
has vowed to continue campaigning, she added an appearance to her
already hectic schedule.

According to Tim Russert of MSNBC’s Meet the Press, “We now know who the democratic nominee is going to be” referring to Senator Obama’s 14-point win in North Carolina, and unexpectedly narrow loss (barely 2 points) in Indiana.

Now seeming to focus on the general election, Senator Obama began his victory speech in North Carolina by saying,

“There were those who were saying that North Carolina would be a game-changer in this election…But today, what North Carolina decided is that the only game that needs changing is the one in Washington, DC.”

Senator Clinton delivered a victory speech of sorts in Indiana before the race was officially called, while she maintained a definitive lead over Obama (see AP excerpts here). Standing with her husband and daughter at her side, she said,

“Not long ago my opponent made a prediction. He said I would probably win in Pennsylvania, he would North Carolina, and Indiana would be the tiebreaker. Well, tonight we’ve come from behind, we’ve broken the tie, and thanks to you, it’s full speed to the White House.”

But later, in a somewhat conciliatory tone, she said,

“…as I have said on many occasions, that, no matter what happens, I will work for the nominee of the Democratic Party, because we must win in November.”

Expected to meet with superdelegates today, perhaps Senator Clinton will think twice about adding campaign stops to West Virginia and other states. But then again, her graceful concession has been on the minds of many for quite some time – and she hasn’t given up yet.