Barclay Palmer
360° Senior Producer

Barack Obama had already seemed to take a page from his forebear on the other end of the political spectrum — yes, Ronald Reagan — by running on a platform of optimism, which he has branded as “change.”

And last night, the Illinois Democrat evoked the widely admired stagecraft of the Gipper, who could turn a speech into a celebratory rally timed perfectly for evening newscasts, complete with hundreds of balloons falling from above, and cheering, nearly ecstatic crowds.

Fast forward to Obama last night: he comes bounding in before a roaring crowd. With his slow and pausing manner of speech, which somehow builds rather than depletes the drama, he promises “something special,” then introduces John Edwards, who comes bounding in to even greater cheers. What is this, a prize fight?

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Editor’s note: Bonnie Erbe is the host of PBS’s weekly news analysis program, To the Contrary with Bonnie Erbe, and syndicated columnist for Scripps Howard News Service. Her blog ‘Racism in the Presidential Race’ appeared on UsNews.com.

Bonnie Erbe
Host, PBS’ “To the Contrary”

Terry McAuliffe, Senator Clinton’s campaign manager was all over the cable news channels last night claiming Sen. Clinton’s 2-1 win in West Virginia is proof she and only she can win the White House for the Democratic party in November—that due to her support from white, working class voters.

But an even more telling point about white, working class voters and how some of them will vote when (and it looks like when, not if) Sen. Barack Obama becomes the Democratic nominee was made in article in yesterday’s Washington Post. The monster lurking behind the curtain in the Democratic presidential race is racism. Up to now, Sen. Obama’s supporters in the extreme left wing of the Democratic party, have tried to ignore its existence. This article is proof, it not only exists, it is unfortunately alive and well, particularly in factory towns:

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David Gergen
360° Contributor

Her landslide victory gives Hillary Clinton a large measure of vindication for staying in the race. Clearly, many Democrats want to continue the race until the primaries and caucuses conclude, and she is giving voice to their legitimate concerns about the economy. The party will be much better positioned in the fall if it fully hears the anxieties of voters about their lives and can respond not only with a sense of hope but with a set of ideas and policies that will put America’s house in order. The continued Clinton campaign is giving the public a chance to be more fully heard.

Yet it is also clear that unless the wheels come totally off the Obama campaign — and there is no sign of that, just the opposite — he will soon have the nomination in his grasp. That raises two questions for Mrs. Clinton:

Will she go gracefully?
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Barclay Palmer
360° Senior Producer

Ok, West Virginia was a nice side show on our way to the big tent, and we’ll have a few more of those. But let’s look ahead for a moment to the human cannonball act: Is this the year Dems rocket back into the White House, fueled by discontent over gas prices, the economy and the war? Or will they have a candidate so battered by the lion taming act that a Republican packagable as moderate and will capture Reagan Democrats and the political center, and win the brass ring for the Republicans yet again?

Mississippi might offer a better clue to this riddle than West Virginia. Democrat Travis Childers won the race in Mississippi’s first congressional district, held by Republicans have held since 1994. This is the second time in two weeks that a Democrat has defeated a Republican in an open Congressional seat in the south. On May 3rd, Democrat Don Cazayoux won a special election in Louisiana.

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Sen. Hillary Clinton used her big win in West Virginia on Tuesday to make her case that she has a better chance of beating the Republicans in the general election.

“I am more determined than ever to carry on this campaign,” she told supporters in Charleston, West Virginia.

“I am in this race because I believe I am the strongest candidate. … I can lead this party to victory in the general election if you lead me to victory now.”

With half of the results in, Clinton was ahead of Sen. Barack Obama by a margin of more than 2-1.

Clinton has faced calls to drop out of the race because she trails Obama in delegates won, states won and the popular vote this primary season.

Clinton also now trails Obama when it comes to the support of superdelegates, and her campaign is $20 million in the red

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William Schneider
Senior political analyst

Something Hillary Clinton said at a children’s hospital in Portland, Oregon, last week caught my eye:

“How can anyone run for Democratic nominee for President and not have a universal health care plan? This is a huge, huge difference and one I feel passionately about.’’

With that, she defined her biggest issue difference with Obama. In fact, one of her only issue differences with Obama (unless you count the gas tax holiday, which is silly).

This could be the line-in-the-sand issue Clinton takes to the convention, demanding a platform plank calling for universal health care as a victory for her campaign.

Reagan did that in 1976, demanding that the Republican Party repudiate the Nixon-Ford policy of détente (it did).

Kennedy did that in 1980, demanding that the Democratic Party endorse a big jobs program (it didn’t).

Ford and Carter both went on to lose.

Carl Bernstein writes that Hillary Clinton's campaign recognizes that it faces an uphill battle.

Carl Bernstein
360° Contributor

Friends and close associates of both Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are now convinced that, assuming she loses the race for the presidential nomination, she is probably going to fight to be the vice presidential nominee on an Obama-for-president ticket.

Clinton “is trying to figure out how to land the plane without looking like surrender,” a prominent figure in the Obama camp said Friday. This means, in all likelihood, bringing her campaign to a close in the next few weeks and trying to leverage her way onto an Obama ticket from a position of maximum strength, said several knowledgeable sources.

A person close to her, with whom her campaign staff has counseled at various points, said this week, “I think the following will happen: Obama will be in a position where the party declares him the nominee by the first week in June. She’ll still be fighting with everybody — the Rules Committee, the party leaders — and arguing, ‘I’m winning these key states; I’ve got almost half the delegates. I have a whole constituency he hasn’t reached. I’ve got real differences on approach to how we win this election, and I’m going to press the hell out of this guy. … Relief for the middle class, universal health care, etc.; I’m Ms. Blue Collar, and I’m going to press my fight, because he can’t win without my being on the ticket.’ “

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Steve Brusk
CNN Senior assignment editor

Here’s a little comparison of Hillary on the stump this week compared to Mike Huckabee in his final days.

Just wanted to share:
________________

Please debate me

Huckabee in Cleveland February 26th:

“I wish Senator McCain was debating me this weekend. I wish we were going to be in Cleveland tonight on stage or in Dallas or in Houston or San Antonio or ustin or somewhere between now and Tuesday having a debate. I think Republicans deserve that across the country, I think certainly Republicans in these states that are voting deserve that.”

Hillary in Central Point, OR late Thursday:

“They asked would we be willing to debate. I said absolutely, anytime, anywhere. I heard that my opponent just changed his schedule. He’s going to be in Portland tomorrow. I’m going to be in Portland tomorrow. I’ll meet him anywhere for a debate. There should be a debate about Oregon’s issues. I think that all of you deserve to have a debate particularly about these specifically Oregonian issues.”

________________

What’s the rush?

Mike Huckabee in Houston on March 2nd:

“All of these people who for the last two or three weeks have been saying, let’s hurry and get ours over with. Well, what’s the hurry? It’s March. It’s barely March. The convention isn’t until September.

Clinton at the women’s fundraiser Wednesday in Washington:

“There is no cause for alarm, sometimes you got to calm people down a little bit. My husband did not get the nomination until June 2nd.”

________________
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Editor’s note: WARNING!!! This is not just a little tongue & cheek…it is A LOT of cheek!!! While the news events described did occur…Tanya Acker took little creative liberty with the dialogue…

Tanya Acker
Attorney, political analyst and Obama supporter

John McCain must be very depressed. What do people in the public service live for, except a little attention from those they “serve”? (Oh, and the chance to “serve” in the first instance, of course. Silly me).

In any event, he can’t get a second look from the press if he tried.

Case in point: during a Middle East tour, he makes the claim that al Qaeda, a Sunni terrorist group, is getting funding from Shiite Iran. (Just a little footnote here – Sunnis and Shiites don’t get along so well, see… e.g., the current civil war in Iraq). Hearing the stumble and eager to get things back on track, Joe Lieberman whispers a correction in his ear.
(Thank God for that trusty old Joe.)

“Oops,” the senator says, acknowledging his mistake. “Of course I didn’t mean that . . .”

Or did he? Remember, this is John “master of foreign policy” McCain, he who knows all about all things off-shore. Might this slip-up have been a ploy to direct some attention in this frenetic election season back to himself? A desperate cry for help (or at least news coverage) from the media masters? A passionate plea: “pay attention to me! Enough of the lady and the black guy!”

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Barclay Plamer
360° Senior Producer

It was a game changer, but not the kind Hillary Clinton wanted. Nor the kind Barack Obama wanted, for that matter.

Obama’s 14-point victory in the North Carolina primary, bringing him closer to the number of delegates needed to win, has prompted more calls for Clinton to drop out of the race to protect Democrats in the general election.

In fact, former Sen. George McGovern – and former presidential candidate – now says he has switched his support to Obama, and called on Clinton to drop out and unite behind Obama. “I think she has waged a really courageous and valiant campaign,’ McGovern told CNN. “She will have my affection and admiration for all of my days.”

Yet, true to character, Clinton forges on in West Virginia today, hoping her support among white blue-collar workers and women will bring her the game changer she’s been predicting. Clinging to her 2 point victory in Indiana, she says, “it’s full speed onto the White House.”

And, even as experts agree with McGovern that Obama has the math on his side, all sides wonder what it means for the general election that Obama has not been able to win over her voting blocs, and her states.

So.. it ain’t over ’til it’s over.

Or is it… What do you think?