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On the Republican side, Sen. John McCain swept the contests, further solidifying his position as his party's presumptive nominee. He defeated former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee in Virginia 50 to 41 percent, in Maryland 55 to 30 percent and in the District of Columbia 68 to 17 percent, according to incomplete returns. Still, McCain suffered a scare in Virginia. Earlier in the day, his aides huddled at headquarters to analyze exit polls. They showed that while McCain did well among moderate Republicans, Huckabee captured 70 percent of voters who described themselves as "very conservative" and narrowly led him among independents, a key McCain demographic. In the end, aides credited the senator's victory to his strength in northern Virginia, the most populous (and a more moderate) area of the state.

Greeting supporters in Alexandria, Va., on Tuesday night, McCain commended Huckabee as a "formidable campaigner." "He certainly keeps things interesting--a little too interesting at times tonight, I must confess," McCain said. Yet as the nomination has increasingly neared his grasp, he has turned his attention to other matters: assembling a general election campaign, raising money and cultivating support. While close aides and surrogates have been reaching out to conservative activists and talk radio personalities who have criticized his campaign, he's been courting members of Congress. On Tuesday, McCain spoke before a weekly Senate Republican luncheon, where he spoke of his desire to unite the party and help Republicans win back majority control of Congress, according to a GOP aide who was not authorized to speak on the record.

The biggest unknown: how much pressure the McCain campaign will put on Huckabee to end his increasingly quixotic quest. Already, supporters of the senator, like Texas Gov. Rick Perry, have called for Huckabee to drop out for the good of the party. But on Tuesday night, Huckabee declared, "We march on. … The nomination is not secured" until someone captures the 1,191 GOP delegates needed to win. McCain doesn't seem all that concerned. In his victory speech, he mostly aimed his comments at Democrats, including some that seemed to single out Obama. "Hope, my friends is a powerful thing," he said. "I can attest to that better than many. … [But] to encourage a country with only rhetoric rather than sound and proven ideas that trust in the strength and courage of free people is not a promise of hope. It is a platitude." Though the Democratic nominating contest remains unsettled, it seems like one candidate in particular is on his mind.

With Holly Bailey and Matthew Philips

© 2008

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Member Comments

  • Posted By: Lisa P @ 11/12/2008 4:05:18 AM

    These were the underlying great problems that will be faced by our countrymen a narrow economic analysis of the ongoing severe economic financial crisis that is ravaging the US and hitting the international community on all continents. My friends, my countrymen, Americans, hear me out for a minute or two. I hope you all thought long and hard about whom to cast your vote for on Election Day. I???d sure love to think everyone did, but I???m not so sure anymore. Most people think harder about whether or not they have to take out a payday advance. Case in point is this audio excerpt from the ???Howard Stern Show,??? reposted by BPM DJ???s in Pittsburgh, PA. Roving Reporter Sal went out to gather man-on-the-street interviews to see how many people supported Obama or McCain. The underlying motive was to see if they supported Obama simply because he is black. The comedia magnae is that his polling point was Harlem, NYC. His trick is even more telling ??? he reverses the candidates??? positions, so that it would seem that Obama???s policies were actually McCain???s, and McCain???s Obama???s. The people he spoke to preferred the actual platform of John McCain, and the policies that he attributed to McCain (which are actually Obama???s) were the ones nobody wanted anything to do with. I hope you all thought long and hard before voting. I sincerely hope, my fellow Americans that you did not just jump on the bandwagon.
    Read more on this topic: http://personalmoneystore.com/moneyblog/a-fast-cash-payday-advance-saved-my-wifes-stupid-cats/

  • Posted By: dobber @ 02/25/2008 6:44:39 PM

    I take offense to your statement that you are educated insinuating that others are not. I do not have a degree but can tell you that I can run with you any day. Obama is a very pleasant man, gives wonderful speeches and will probably be a great leader someday--but not today. He is not ready. What will he have left to give after your "oh what a feeling" is gone?? Experience, experience is key and he needs more of it. Everyone who supports him is only hanging on words. And yes they are just words. We all have dreams and hopes but that isn't enough. I am considered, according to you, as uneducated because I am voting for Hillary--well, let me tell you something your degree has nothing to do with it. I have a lifetime of education, knowledge and ability to see what is lasting and not "oh, what a feeling he gives me!" If he becomes the president I will be anxious to hear how good you feel down the road. Good luck.

  • Posted By: bonsmi @ 02/20/2008 7:19:39 PM

    Have those little changes that Obama made as a part of his job made a difference for you and your family or the American public as a whole. Get real people. If you have to pick out things that he did as his job description to say he has experience with health, international policies, the economy, safety, etc., then that is downright stupid. I am glad that you are not running for President. I pray that Obama wins because it is the poorer class like you that will suffer.

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