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Barack Obama waving to supporters in Washington D.C. after his win there on Tuesday. (AP) Last update - 08:35 13/02/2008 Obama wins three primaries, takes Democratic delegate lead By The Associated Press Tags: Hillary Clinton, John McCain  Barack Obama powered past Hillary Rodham Clinton in the race for Democratic convention delegates on a night of triumph sweetened with outsized primary victories in Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C.. John McCain won all three Republican primaries Tuesday, adding to his i Advertisement nsurmountable lead in delegates for the Republican nomination. "Tonight we're on our way," Obama told cheering supporters in Madison, Wisconsin. "But we know how much further we have to go," the Illinois senator added, celebrating eight straight victories over Clinton, the former first lady now struggling in a race she once commanded. The Associated Press count of delegates showed Obama with 1,210. Clinton had 1,188, falling behind for the first time since the campaign began. Neither was close to the 2,025 needed to win the nomination at the party's national convention this summer in Denver. His victories were by large margins - he was gaining about 75 percent of the vote in the nation's capital and nearly two-thirds in Virginia. In Maryland, he was winning close to 60 percent of the vote. By contrast, Clinton was attempting to retool her campaign in the midst of a losing streak. Her deputy campaign manager resigned, the second high-level departure in as many days. Campaigning in Texas, where she hopes to triumph on March 4, she said she was looking ahead, not back. "I'm tested, I'm ready. Now let's make it happen," she said. McCain turned back a determined challenge from former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee in Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C. The Arizona senator congratulated Huckabee, his sole remaining major rival and a potential vice presidential running mate, then turned his focus on the Democrats. "We know where either of their candidates will lead this country, and we dare not let them," McCain a former Vietnam prisoner of war, told supporters in Alexandria, Virginia. "They will paint a picture of the world in which America's mistakes are a greater threat to our security than the malevolent intentions of an enemy that despises us and our ideals." Obama moved past Clinton in the delegate chase on the basis of the day's primaries and newly released results from last Saturday's Washington state caucuses. Additional delegates still to be allocated from his new victories were certain to add to his lead. McCain's victory in Virginia was a relatively close one, the result of an outpouring of religious conservatives who backed Huckabee. Four in 10 Republican voters said they were born again or evangelical Christians - twice as many as called themselves members of the religious right in 2000 - and nearly 70 percent of them supported Huckabee, an ordained Baptist minister. Virginia voters could vote in either primary in their state. In a twist, Huckabee was running slightly ahead of McCain among independents, who cast about a fifth of the Republican votes there. There were 113 delegates at stake in the three Republican races. The AP count showed McCain with 789 delegates. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who dropped out of the race last week, had 288. Huckabee had 241 and Texas Rep. Ron Paul had 14. It takes 1,191 delegates to clinch the Republican nomination at the party's convention in St. Paul, Minnesota, and McCain appears to be on track to reach the target by late April. "Until someone gets that magic number, we still have an election process and there is no nominee," Huckabee said. "And once that happens, we've got a nominee, it's time to rally around him." The Democratic race was the definition of unsettled, with Clinton surrendering her long-held lead in delegates, having shed her campaign manager and loaned her campaign $5 million (3.44 million) in recent days, and facing defeats next Tuesday in Wisconsin and Obama's native Hawaii. As the votes were counted in her latest setbacks, Clinton's deputy campaign manager stepped down. Mike Henry announced his departure one day after Patti Solis Doyle was replaced as campaign manager with Maggie Williams, a longtime confidante of the former first lady. Clinton hopes to respond with victories in Texas and Ohio on March 4, states where both candidates have already begun television advertising. Since last week's Super Tuesday contests in 22 states, Obama had won a primary in Louisiana as well as caucuses in Nebraska, Washington and Maine, all of them by large margins. Obama has campaigned before huge crowds in recent days, and far outspent his rival on TV advertising in the states participating in the regional primary in Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia. He began airing commercials in the region more than a week ago, and spent an estimated $1.4 million (960,000). Clinton began hers last Friday, at a cost estimated at $210,000 (144,450). With Clinton facing a series of possible defeats, and Obama riding a wave of momentum, the two camps debated which contender is more likely to defeat McCain in the general election. Mark Penn, Clinton's chief strategist, countered that she holds appeal for women voters and Hispanics. "Hillary Clinton has a coalition of voters well-suited to winning the general election," he said. Bookmark to del.icio.us   Intrigue at Heathrow According to the BBC, an IDF general dodged arrest as U.K. police feared shootout. Decency in remission A Ramat Yishai widow is suspected of faking cancer to receive donations.   1.   NOBODY WILL STOP HIM FROM NOW ON 09:15  |  indrajaya 13/02/08   2.   Obama wins three primaries, takes Democratic delegate lead 11:29  |  Scogostology.com 13/02/08   3.   #1 12:18  |  US voter 13/02/08   4.   @ #3 US Voter 12:27  |  Another US Voter 13/02/08   5.   #1: Majority of Jews in US support Obama 13:34  |  Markus Grafenburg 13/02/08   6.   Israelis have to admit that Bush also dumped them. 13:35  |  Dave 13/02/08   7.   Response #2. 14:00  |  sandra chitayat 13/02/08   8.   # 5, MARKUS GRAFENBURG 14:13  |  indrajaya 13/02/08   9.   White bows to Black 14:44  |  Brod 13/02/08   10.   why forgive obama? 19:59  |  PS 13/02/08   11.   Why Hillary doesn`t have a right to win. 01:03  |  Mr Judgment 14/02/08   12.   Why Hillary Should Not Be President 03:53  |  Mr Judgment 14/02/08   13.   #9 Golly Brod 19:40  |  ballistic 17/02/08   14.   Brod 21:48  |  mark 20/02/08

Today Online Israel still building in settlements despite Olmert's promise Responses: 235 Abbas cool to aide's call for Kosovo-like statehood declaration Responses: 148 Amira Hass: Israel is stealing Palestinian land, private or not Responses: 98 Peace-minded residents of Gaza and Sderot share joint blog Responses: 39 Chelsea's Israeli soccer coach sent anti-Semitic death threat Responses: 21 Rosner's Domain Does John McCain need Evangelical voters? (WTR) The only f word people should be afraid of is fanaticism Gaza: The Problem Nobody Wants Poll: Is it important to have an Israeli-Palestinian agreement by the end of 2008? The row over Obama's stance on Israel is a dispute between Jews More Headlines 19:16 IDF chief: I can't rule out conflict in near future 21:17 UN Chief: Ahmadinejad's verbal attacks on Israel intolerable 19:29 Shas MK blames gays for recent earthquakes in the region 20:50 Chelsea's Israeli soccer coach gets anti-Semitic death threat 14:25 Netanyahu: Olmert government taking measures to cede Jerusalem 22:06 Poll: 75% of young Israeli Arabs support voluntary national service 22:08 Palestinian woman poses as Israeli in order to undergo surgery 15:05 Iranian opposition group: Tehran accelerated nuclear program 16:55 Construction continuing in West Bank settlements despite PM's pledge 17:24 Underworld figure's son turns himself in to police after months in hiding Previous Editions Select Day 19 feb 18 feb 17 feb 15 feb 14 feb 13 feb 12 feb 11 feb 10 feb 08 feb 07 feb 06 feb

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