On MSNBC there was an indication that the results varied dramatically by when the vote was cast. I believe that I heard that among votes cast on eletion day, Obama was the leader while among votes cast by mail prior to election day, Hillary had a substantial margin. I hope we get that breakout because it's the most important one in judging the direction of the campaign.

I'm sure we will here more about that.

It has always amazed me how many commentators on the Salon site seemed to share my sentiments for Edwards: he was, and remains, the "class" of the filed. His leaving the campaign comes has no shock however and I wouldn't bother in the recriminations and blame the media. The media kept him in the debates after dropping all the other contenders but the two front runners. His haircut was dopey and although there was a great deal of sentiment for him before SC which was reflected in his appearance on Letterman, he couldn't fight the tide of history which was propelling the Clinton and Obama candidacies. Maybe the day will come when a white male can compete evenly in the Democratic primary, but not this year.

The joker in the pack has been Obama. It's still difficult to gauge exactly what he represents but we know what Hillary represents and I am afraid that if she runs against McCain, a majority of voters will opt for a "security blanket" like McCain and sit there sucking their thumbs.

Once a longtime ago, I heard someone on television opine that a great politician is one "who dreams a great dream for us." John Edwards did that for me and it's clear that of the two remaining the only one who can do that for the mass of Americans is Obama. Just as McCain is the Republican security blanket, Hillary is the security blanket for the regular Democratic pols and Wall Street tycoons who are interested in more than there fair share.

The problem for Hillary and her crude supporters in NY NOW is that they really do not represent a rather large segment of American women and that unrepresented segment - Evangelical Women - will probably either stay home or vote Republican.

I will support Obama, not because I am yet fully convinced of his heart, but because he truly does represent the transformative power of a driving dream. Right now, it appears that McCain's wrapping himself in the flag will trump whatever vision that Hillary has other than ambition.

This is sad, but not unexpected day.

I didn't watch the entire debate, it was a little too much pain on the day John Edwards withdrew. He was the class of the field in either party. But I saw some and saw the highlight replays.

From what I saw, as an old high school debater, Romney won on points. Too f***ing bad. McCain is going to lock this thing up on Super Tuesday and although my feeling for months was to fear McCain, after watching the debate, I think either Clinton or Obama will have him for lunch. Also, according to reports, Romney is not going to break open his piggy bank for Super Tuesday. That and Arnold S endorsement today should really seal the deal in CA for McCain. The fat lady is singing.

But McCain's performance counts - for the general election. The debates are valuable in the primaries but they have now become virtually decisive in reasonable contested general elections. Debate performances were key to Kennedy in 1960, Reagan in 1980 and (negatively) Gore in 2000 - his failure to seal the deal in the debates made it close enough for the election to have been stolen. A Bronx reform Democrat once told me: "We have to in by 10 percent. Anything else they steal."

In 2004, Kerry and my boy Edwards may have won on debating points, but not enough to create the distance needed. They were not decisive. (Bob Shrum may not be the best debate coach.)

The bottom line is this: if McCain's performance last night is indicative of how he'll perform in the fall, he's toast.

Maybe I date myself with all my antiquated metaphors but may be this one is appropriate: Move-on's endorsement "ain't whistling Dixie."

In 2004, I got tied-up in a last minute effort by a conscientious objector to prevent his recall as a reservist. The cases merited some "ink" including a nice story in the NY Times. While I was opting out as a volunteer lawyer (I was originally assigned to Tampa as a volunteer lawyer for Kerry but was "traded to Jacksonville) my son Dan volunteered to Move-on to work in PA. He walked into their headquarters and a colleague from M&R Strategic Services an NGO consulting firm where Dan is VP for Media in NYC, noticed him standing in line. Next thing he knew he was in charge of dispatching the Move-on volunteers to South Philly. The turn-out in S. Philly was spectacular and played a key role in winning PA for Kerry, Alas, PA wasn't enough.

To use an antique analogy, Move-on's endorsement MAY prove to be a little like the US involvement in the last stages of WWI: the sudden arrival of hundreds of thousands from the US turned the tide and snatched victory from the Germans.

Don't underestimate the potential of this endorsement.

But who knows? OMG, is Tuesday going to be fun!!!!

http://johnklotz.blogspot.com