Who really won last night?

Last night was a big night for Clinton. She won the Texas primary by a hair (51% to 48%), with Obama taking the major metropolitan areas of Austin, Houston, and Dallas. The dust hasn't quite settled, though, as caucus results continue to roll in. With 36% of caucus results reported, Obama is up slightly, with 52%. Of course, it's far too early to tell what the end result of the Texas caucus will be, and I would advise caution in predictions, especially with Clinton's hardball strategy to seize control of the caucus operations.



Ohio was less dramatic, as Clinton was expected to take the state fairly handily, which she did with 54% of the vote. Tellingly, Obama again won the major metropolitan areas of Cincinnati, Columbus, and Cleveland



Despite Clinton's wins, Obama continues to hold a slight lead in the number of delegates - one that remains a significant obstacle for Clinton.

Critical to Clinton's prospect of victory are the superdelegates, the nearly 800 elected officials and party leaders who can vote any way they choose. Her campaign envisions what aides call a "buyer's remorse" strategy of raising enough doubts about the first-term senator from Illinois through increasingly vigorous attacks and tougher media scrutiny to convince the superdelegates that it would be too risky to nominate him.

That reflects the recognition that it would be enormously difficult for Clinton to overtake Obama in the pledged delegates chosen by voters in primaries and caucuses. By some calculations, Clinton would need to win more than 60 percent of the vote in the dozen contests remaining between now and June 7 to catch Obama in pledged delegates -- a steep challenge given that, so far, she has won that much in only one state, her onetime adopted home of Arkansas. Even in New York, where she is a sitting senator, she won 57 percent of the vote. She won 55 percent in Michigan, where Obama was not even on the ballot.

Are we seeing a replay of the 1976 Republican primary? I don't know. A Clinton comeback could be a real blessing in disguise for Obama. As Afghanistan slips into becoming a narco-state, the Iraq war slogs on, and oil and the U.S. Dollar continue to go their separate ways, the winner of the 2008 presidential election may be the biggest loser.

The next four years may be just the time Obama needs to solidify his place as the next Reagan.

As for this morning, though, things seems to be less clear than they were two days ago. Advantage: Rush Limbaugh