CNN called the Indiana primary for Clinton at 1 a.m. today with 99% of the vote counted. At that time she had a 2% lead; however more than 1% of the vote in Lake County remained to be counted. He won by large margins in the four counties that Kerry won in 2004--which are considered to be Democratic party strongholds in a state that traditionally votes Republican.

In North Carolina he had a decisive victory with a 14% lead. Taking both elections together his vote count exceeded hers by more than 200,000.

Updated remark by carol. The New York Times reports that Obama has strongly repudiated Rev. Wright's most recent speeches. Zeff Zeleny writes Obama Says He’s Outraged by Ex-Pastor’s Comments

One of the unsettling features of the Democratic primary campaign has been the way that the media has amplified a racial drum beat, picking up the Clinton camp's "Obama is unelectable" theme. Anyone familiar with the use of code words to hide discriminatory hiring practises or to deny loans to minorities or to restrict access to certain communities, can easily recognize the use of "elite" as a code word. The claim that Obama is too "elite," he can't connect with the white working stiff.

Some powerful hitters are now coming to the fore to expose the arrogance of the media and the ugly message that they are trying to put across. Top on the list is Elizabeth Edwards who had a powerful opinion piece in Sunday's Me York Times Bowling 1, Health Care 0.

FOR the last month, news media attention was focused on Pennsylvania and its Democratic primary. Given the gargantuan effort, what did we learn?

Well, the rancor of the campaign was covered. The amount of money spent was covered. But in Pennsylvania, as in the rest of the country this political season, the information about the candidates’ priorities, policies and principles — information that voters will need to choose the next president — too often did not make the cut.

"It is the quality of patriotism to be jealous and watchful, to observe all secret machinations, and to see publick dangers at a distance. The true lover of his country is ready to communicate his fears, and to sound the alarm, whenever he perceives the approach of mischief. But he sounds no alarm, when there is no enemy; he never terrifies his countrymen till he is terrified himself.

Submitted by tapsearcher with a request to cross-post.

The American Dream is Burning not only in the USA but across the globe. If this is a good economy, I would hate to see a bad one. Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans exposed a vast underclass living in a silent depression. The same applies for most of our major cities and towns across the land.

The more that comes out about Mike Huckabee, the more I get scared.

So far, he's admitted he's part of the "Left Behind" fandom crowd, he's gotten endorsements and help from hate groups (like a pastor linked with "Watchmen On The Walls" who also wants to kick all non-dominionists out of the country), released rapist-killers from prison, wants to change the constitution to make the US a de jure theocracy, snd rather explicitly has invoked "God's Army" in his speeches.

A picture sometimes really is worth a thousand words...

Rassmussen conducts a daily national tracking poll of all presidential candidates. The latest shows John Edwards picking up significantly more support, since the beginning of the year, than any candidate of either party.

The percent change for Republicans is: Huckabee 18.8% / Giuliani 13.3% / McCain 11.8% / Thompson 8.3% / Romney -6.3%.

So why isn't this news?