Underdog Hillary

Barack Obama is no longer claiming to be the underdog in the Dem presidential primary race.

That title belongs to Hillary Clinton.

WASHINGTON -- Barack Obama powered past Hillary Rodham Clinton in the race for Democratic convention delegates Tuesday on a night of triumph sweetened with outsized primary victories in Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia.

"Tonight we're on our way," Obama told cheering supporters in Madison, Wis. "But we know how much further we have to go," he 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.

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.

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.

...The Democratic race was the definition of unsettled, with Clinton surrendering her long-held lead in delegates, having shed her campaign manager and lent her campaign $5 million in recent days, and facing defeats next week in Wisconsin and Hawaii.

As the votes were counted in her latest setbacks, her 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.

When did the tide turn?

What put Hillary into this slump? Was it Bill's red-faced, finger-wagging appearances on the campaign trail? Was it the Kennedy endorsements?

It wasn't anything that Hillary did. She didn't make any major gaffes or change her overall style.

Bill's approach to campaigning, going on the attack, was a factor. It hurt Hillary far more than it helped.

I think major figures in the Democrat Party breaking ranks with the Clintons had a significant impact on the race.

What started as a trickle became a tidal wave of endorsements for Obama, and the lib media assisted by eagerly becoming an arm of the Obama campaign.

Hillary was dropped, suddenly, without warning.

For his part, after sweeping the Potomac Primary, Obama is acting like the front-runner.

At the rally in Madison last night, he didn't waste much time referring to his Dem opponent. He shifted his attention to McCain.

That's significant. It has to be demoralizing to Hillary.

She is going to fight for the delegates she won in Florida and Michigan to be seated.

If the results of those primaries are included, and the Dems abide by their familiar "count every vote" mantra, Hillary has the delegate count lead right now.