Obama Eludes Not Only Clinton, but Media

(NEWSER) - Reporters are already writing up advance analyses of how each of the two presidential candidates achieved victory next Tuesday—to be ready for either outcome. Slate has a little fun imagining some of the other scenarios that might have played out:

• Hillary Clinton claimed a historic win after John McCain's oft-used phrase, "lipstick on a pig," insulted voters—and his VP pick, a black police lieutenant form small-town Maryland, backfired on him.

Surveys show candidate recovering from Pa. setback

(NEWSER) - Barack Obama romped to victory in North Carolina and almost fought Hillary Clinton to a draw in Indiana by relying on his most loyal coalitions: young voters, African-Americans, and liberals. He also did better yesterday than in recent races among white men, pulling about 40% of that demo in Indiana. That puts Obama back at the level of support he enjoyed on Super Tuesday, reports Politico. More»

Seeks to add Florida and Michigan to delegate mix

(NEWSER) - Barack Obama's resounding win in North Carolina and fight to the finish in Indiana has left the Clinton campaign with one final strategy to win the nomination: move the goalposts and play for time. Team Hillary is now telling journalists that the winning candidate actually needs almost 200 more delegates than both sides had said earlier, reports the Los Angeles Times. More»

Voters evenly divided over Wright effect

(NEWSER) - In exit polling in both Indiana and North Carolina today, voters overwhelmingly said the economy was the No. 1 issue influencing their decision in the presidential primary. In Indiana, 65% said the economy was most important, compared to 60% in North Carolina. Asked if the recession had affected their lives, 89% in Indiana said yes, as did 81% in North Carolina, MSNBC reports. More»

Parsing a Clinton sweep, an Obama sweep and a split

(NEWSER) - With polls still seesawing as voters pull their levers, maybe it’s best to stop predicting results, and start figuring out what they’ll mean. Adam Nagourney takes a shot in the New York Times:

• A Hillary Clinton victory in both primaries could “change the world.” Indiana would be Barack Obama’s third consecutive loss due to a blue-collar gap, and the North Carolina result would be chalked up to Rev. Wright. Disaster for Obama.