DNC Convention = War

(Newser) - Hillary Clinton scored her dramatic comeback in last night's primaries by getting tough—even nasty—with her opponent, Josh Marshall writes on TPM, and the question is now whether Barack Obama has it in him to fight that kind of fight. "Can he take this back to Hillary Clinton, demonstrate his ability to take punches and punch back?" If Obama wants to win this, Ben Smith writes on Politico, “he’ll need to shove her off the stage.” More »

(Newser) - Hillary Clinton brought her campaign back from the brink tonight with primary wins in Texas, Ohio, and Rhode Island, NBC reports. "For everyone who's ever been counted out but refused to be knocked out, this one's for you," she told jubilant supporters in Columbus. Obama won Vermont in the night's first contest and insisted that he would maintain his lead in delegates once full results have been tallied. More »

(Newser) - John McCain officially clinched the Republican nomination for president tonight, the Washington Post reports. Mike Huckabee conceded after McCain racked up easy wins in Texas, Ohio, Vermont, and Rhode Island to surpass the necessary number of delegates—1,191. He is expected to go to the White House tomorrow to collect an endorsement from President Bush. More »

(Newser) - The heat on Hillary Clinton’s black superdelegates is rising, and Rep. Emanuel Cleaver has called on Barack Obama to speak out against “ugly" pressure from his supporters. The Missouri congressman said Clinton’s African-American backers are being "bludgeoned verbally" and told, “You’re not black if you’re not supporting Barack Obama," the Kansas City Star reports. More »

(Newser) - After a month of shifting signals, influential congressman John Lewis said today he’s switching his support from Hillary Clinton to Barack Obama, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. Lewis says he’s unwilling to go against the voters in his Atlanta district—and that Obama “has tapped into something that is extraordinary.” The civil-rights leader irked local African-Americans by lining up behind Clinton early. More »

(Newser) - House Democrats who support Hillary Clinton appear to be rejecting calls to switch their support to Barack Obama if circumstances give the super delegates the deciding votes, the Hill reports. Despite charges that it would be anti-democratic to defy voters in their home states, many who talked to the Hill say they won't budge—with one member adding that the only way he wouldn’t vote for Clinton is if she died. More »

(Newser) - Ok, so he's not a math guy, but GOP presidential contender Mike Huckabee proved on Saturday Night Live that he can take a ribbing as well as anyone. “Weekend Update” host Seth Meyers pointed out to Huck that even if he wins every remaining delegate, the candidate