Top Items:
Mike Allen / The Politico:
Obama claims delegate lead — In a surprise twist after a chaotic Super Tuesday, Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) passed Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) in network tallies of the number of delegates the candidates racked up last night. — Clinton was portrayed in many news accounts …
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Washington Post:
Clinton and Obama Trade Victories — N.Y. Senator Withstands Push By Surging Rival in Key Battlegrounds — Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton won victories over Sen. Barack Obama in California, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York last night, giving her presidential campaign a crucial boost.
Discussion:
Firedoglake, Burnt Orange Report, State of the Day, Three Wise Men, DownWithTyranny! and Blue Crab Boulevard
The Politico:
Berman's count: 606-534 — David Plouffe, on a conference call just now, offered the Obama campaign's estimate of where they stand at this moment in terms of delegates. — “We are, in terms of delegates, ahead currently: about 606 to 534, in terms of pledged delegates awarded tonight,” he said.
Discussion:
Hot Air, American Street, The Strata-Sphere, protein wisdom, Attytood, Spin Cycle and The Reaction
MSNBC:
Clinton wins Calif.; Obama wins in South — But party's delegate rules mean Democratic race to end up virtually tied — Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton greets supports as she enters her Super Tuesday primary night rally in New York. — It's far from over — Feb. 5: NBC News Washington …
The Politico:
Super Tuesday: A split decision — The clarity Democrats so desperately sought escaped them on Super Tuesday, as both candidates found cause to claim victory even as one of them cemented her front-runner status. — By winning critical contested strongholds in Massachusetts, New Jersey …
Discussion:
Captain's Quarters, NY Daily News, Tennessee Guerilla Women and New York Daily News Blogs
Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:
SUMMING IT UP — Before we give way to the night, let me try to pull together some rough thoughts on what happened here tonight. It's probably best to start with the indisputable facts. I haven't had a chance to look at the popular vote. But every estimate I've seen says this was close to an exact tie in delegates.
Ari Melber / The Nation:
OBAMA CAMPAIGN PROJECTS 72 DELEGATE LEAD (FOR NOW)... Barack Obama's presidential campaign is claiming an early lead in pledged delegates for Super Tuesday. — In a media conference call at 10:30pm, Campaign Manager David Plouffe estimated that Obama leads Hillary Clinton in pledged delegates by 606 to 534.
New York Times:
Clinton and McCain Win in California; Obama Stays Close as G.O.P. Rivals Lag
Clinton and McCain Win in California; Obama Stays Close as G.O.P. Rivals Lag
Discussion:
The Hill, The Swamp, Live Coverage, The Democratic Daily, State of the Day and The New Editor
The New Republic:
Who Won Super Tuesday? — It's hard to say, but if you put a gun in my head, I'd say John McCain and (very slightly) Hillary Clinton, but the elections revealed weaknesses in McCain and in both of the leading Democratic candidates. McCain blunted Mitt Romney's challenge, but he failed consistently to win over conservative voters.
Discussion:
JustOneMinute, Matthew Yglesias, Associated Press, The Carpetbagger Report, American Street and Brendan Nyhan
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CNN:
Keys to victory on Super Tuesday — The CNN Political Unit took a look at what dynamics could play significant roles in victory — or defeat — for the various candidates as they slug it out on Super Tuesday. Here's how those issues were playing out in early voting on Tuesday …
Ed Morrissey / Captain's Quarters:
Democrats' Identity Politics Getting More Sharply Defined — Exit polling for Super Tuesday contests show a growing trend towards division by ethnicity among Democrats. With the race as tight as it is, the identity politics that the party has fostered over the years has now become one of the points of division.
Discussion:
politburo diktat 2.0
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Harold Meyerson / Washington Post:
The Repudiation of Rove — John McCain had a surprising but pleasant evening last night — watching Mitt Romney go down to defeat in nearly every contest and encountering a newly victorious but ultimately unnominatable Mike Huckabee all across the Bible Belt.
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Michael Levenson / Boston Globe:
After tough Tuesday, Romney forces to meet on next steps
After tough Tuesday, Romney forces to meet on next steps
Discussion:
AMERICAblog
Jed Babbin / Human Events:
McCain Didn't Close the Deal — John McCain's strong showing in the February 5 primaries wasn't enough to close the deal. He could have done it by winning enough delegates to be the prohibitive favorite or — conversely — by Mitt Romney making so poor a showing that he would be unwilling to fight on.
Discussion:
TIME
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Mark Steyn / The Corner:
The Morning After — I think John O'Sullivan is right. There was an explicit anti-Romney vote in the South. A mere month ago, in the wake of Iowa and New Hampshire, I received a ton of e-mails from southern readers saying these pansy northern states weren't the “real” conservative heartland …
John Bresnahan / The Politico:
NRCC probe scares GOP — Top House Republicans were told in recent days that a former employee of their campaign committee may have forged an official audit during the contentious 2006 election cycle and that they should brace for the possibility that an unfolding investigation …
ABCNEWS:
Top Officer Calls U.S. Forces ‘Stressed’ — Top Uniformed Officer Says U.S. Forces ‘Significantly Stressed’ by Iraq, War on Terror — The military's top uniformed officer says U.S. forces are “significantly stressed” by fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan while simultaneously trying to stem the tide of violent extremism elsewhere.
Discussion:
The Newshoggers
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Robert Perez / Orlando Sentinel:
Confused Florida voters try to cast ballots in Super Tuesday primaries — The problem? Florida had its presidential primary LAST week. — Millions of Americans in 24 states are turning out vote to in Super Tuesday presidential primaries from Georgia to Alaska today.