The World is Talking. Global Politics

Sen. Barack Obama was leading Sen. Hillary Clinton in the second Texas caucus results last night.

“That may mean he
can win more overall delegates in Texas even though Mrs. Clinton won
the initial primary vote, as Mr. Obama’s campaign claimed in a
triumphant statement late Saturday,” according to the Dallas Morning News. “The Clinton campaign scoffed at
that and predicted a strong showing once all the results were counted.”

The Houston Chronicle: “If the Obama campaign prediction is accurate, that would give Obama a
total five-delegate advantage over Clinton in the Texas primary/caucus
contest.”

“If we have an ugly, divided convention, we will lose. John
McCain is not a strong candidate for president. The only way we lose is
if we are divided.”

– DNC Chairman Howard Dean, quoted by the New York Times.

New York Times: “Mrs. Clinton’s aides said they could see no circumstance in which she would withdraw unless she lost Pennsylvania on April 22. Two senior advisers and one close ally said they would urge her to quit the race if she lost Indiana two weeks later, on May 6.”

New York magazine looks at why, nearly two months after dropping out of the presidential race, John Edwards still hasn’t endorsed either Sen. Barack Obama or Sen. Hillary Clinton.

“According to a Democratic strategist unaligned with any campaign but
with knowledge of the situation gleaned from all three camps, the
answer is simple: Obama blew it. Speaking to Edwards on the day he
exited the race, Obama came across as glib and aloof. His response to
Edwards’s imprecations that he make poverty a central part of his
agenda was shallow, perfunctory, pat. Clinton, by contrast, engaged
Edwards in a lengthy policy discussion. Her affect was solicitous and
respectful. When Clinton met Edwards face-to-face in North Carolina ten
days later, her approach continued to impress; she even made headway
with Elizabeth. Whereas in his Edwards sit-down, Obama dug himself in
deeper, getting into a fight with Elizabeth about health care,
insisting that his plan is universal (a position she considers a
crock), high-handedly criticizing Clinton’s plan (and by extension
Edwards’s) for its insurance mandate.”

“A good movie that lasted about a half an hour too long.”

– Sen. Barack Obama, quoted by ABC News, on the “lengthy primary season.”

The latest Gallup Poll finds Sen. Barack Obama with an eight point lead over
Sen. Hillary Clinton, 50% to 42%, giving him “a statistically
significant advantage for the first time since before the Rev. Jeremiah
Wright controversy.”

“Obama last held a significant lead over Clinton in March 11-13 polling, just before Wright’s controversial sermons came to light and put his former parishioner on the defensive. Clinton seemed to benefit from the Wright flap, moving into the lead in two consecutive days of tracking releases (based on March 16-18 and March 17-19 polling). That lead quickly dissipated and the two candidates retreated into a statistical dead heat, where they have been for much of the recent campaign.”

Watching Grand Hotel on TCM, it occurred to me, not for the first time, that the world was never more beautiful than it was in classic Hollywood black and white. Certainly women never were. Black and white gave their eyes…

The National Journal runs an interesting interview with GOP media strategist Mark McKinnon who says he still leave Sen. John McCain’s campaign if Sen. Barack Obama wins the Democratic nomination.

“Well, this goes back to a memo that I wrote to the campaign when I came
aboard more than a year and a half ago, and I simply let them know that
I had spent time with Obama and read his book and I like the guy. I
think he has strong character and a fascinating life story, and I
disagree with him fundamentally on issues like Iraq and trade and a
number of others. But I just flashed forward to the improbable
scenario, at that time seemingly improbable, that John McCain and
Barack Obama might face off against one other. And I just told them at
the time that I thought that I would be uncomfortable being on the
front lines — being as aggressive as you need to be in a presidential
campaign — and not only that I would be uncomfortable, but that it
would be bad for the campaign, and that if that circumstance were to
come to be, that I would just take a step to the sidelines and continue
to support John McCain 100 percent and be No. 1 fan and cheerleader.
But just kind of take myself out of the front lines.”

A new American Research Group poll in Pennsylvania shows Sen. Hillary Clinton leads Sen. Barack Obama, 51% to 39%.

Key findings: Obama leads among men 51% to 38% and Clinton leads among women 61% to 30%. Clinton leads among white voters 60% to 30% and Obama leads among African American voters 83% to 11%. Obama leads 46% to 43% among likely primary voters under 50 and Clinton leads 60% to 32% among likely primary voters 50 and older.

Over at Political Insider, I discuss Karl Rove’s proposed compromise for seating the Florida and Michigan delegates at the Democratic National Convention.