Obama Says He Has a "Close to an Insurmountable" Delegate Lead

By: Maria Gavrilovic
Topics: Barack Obama

(CBS)

From CBS News' Maria Gavrilovic:

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS -- Just hours after losing the Texas, Ohio, and Rhode Island primaries, Barack Obama appeared on the CBS' The Early Show where he diffused concerns about losing momentum to Hillary Clinton.

"Understand what happened last night, the pledged delegate count barely changed," Obama said.

"We still have what is close to an insurmountable lead in terms of winning pledged delegates and we're very confident about where we are going to be and we then can win the nomination and end up winning the general election."

The results appear to be consistent with what the campaign has been saying for days. On Friday, campaign manager, David Plouffe, predicted that there would not be a major delegate swing for either candidate. Last night, chief strategist, David Axelrod, called the March 4 contests a "wash" and said Hillary Clinton was due to win an election after losing eleven contests in a row.

The campaign is already looking forward to Saturday's Wyoming caucuses and next Tuesday's Mississippi primary, where they have been organizing for over a week now. Axelrod said the campaign is hopeful about winning those states and will stay in the race as long as is necessary. "You end it when the process is over and one side has more delegates," Axelrod said.

Today, Obama heads back to Chicago with his wife Michelle. He is expected to return to the campaign trail on Friday.

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by hipstersarah March 6, 2008 4:07 AM EST: We need a leader with strong moral courage and character. Did anyone notice that Obama congratulated not only McCain on the nomination, but Clinton never congratulates Obama on his wins.

Hillary''s campaign IS on life support and there will never be a full recovery before the convention.; Reply to this comment


by drband36 March 5, 2008 11:32 PM EST: Hillary has won herself another couple of weeks'' worth of life support for her campaign. I guess for her, the ends justify *any* means.

She will not be able to make the math work. She will not be the nominee. All she''ll be able to point to in the future is how hard she taxed the strength of the Democratic party, how much she eroded her husband''s legacy, and how much she eroded the cause of feminism by insisting all good feminists must vote her and smearing her opponent''s perfect record on women''s health issues.

Hope you''re proud of yourself, Sen. Clinton!

http://barackfacts.blogspot.com/; Reply to this comment


by dittoga March 5, 2008 11:29 PM EST: Hillary won the entire day by a total of 4 or 5 delegates yesterday. This was her firewall, and it didn''t work. At this point, it is almost impossible for her to win. She of course, has a right to continue to run, but it''s wasting the money and time of the people in the country who could be campaigning against McCain. Perhaps she played her card today and is continuing to campaign to force Obama to accept her has VP. We will see.; Reply to this comment


by elsylee28 March 5, 2008 4:35 PM EST: it is ALL about electability now.

Must read for those into American politics!!!!
I found some brilliant/awesome analysis on Obama%u2019s current happenings on the campaign trail. I haven%u2019t seen anything like this mentioned anywhere in the MSM.
Check out the article %u201CSuper Tuesday 2: Revenge of the Clintons%u201D on http://savagepolitics.com/?p=177, %u201CFollow the Money%u201D on http://savagepolitics.com/?p=165, %u201CBush%u2019s Twin and the G.O.P.%u201D http://savagepolitics.com/?p=172 and %u201CBarack Obama%u2019s Apotasy%u201D http://savagepolitics.com/?p=101
Check their %u201CPolitical Analysis%u201D and %u201CHumor%u201D sections for other striking perspectives and comedic analysis on both parties.; Reply to this comment


by PulSamsara March 5, 2008 4:23 PM EST: The only way for Hillary to get the nomination now is to steal it. If she does that she will destroy absolutely the party.; Reply to this comment


by CrabbyGolightly March 5, 2008 2:43 PM EST: CROW IS BEING SERVED THIS MORNING AT BUFFETS EVERYWHERE POLITICAL PUNDITS GATHER FOR BREAKFAST. After Hillary proved to have the same blood as her husband, the "Come Back Kid", the punditry ilk this morning is scratching their heads, looking down at their plates, and thinking of how to rationalize Hillary''s wins in yesterday''s primary wins in Texas and Ohio that left egg all over their faces.

CrabbyGolightly. Taking a dim view of celebrity, media and power.; Reply to this comment


by cbsespo March 5, 2008 2:23 PM EST: Hillary was not the choice of the Democratic voters in Texas. She was the choice of Republican voters who desperately want to avoid a general election against Barack Obama. Conservative radio has been promoting this strategy for a while now.
20% of the vote for Hillary was "the uneducated white vote" This is the bread and butter of conservative radio because they believe the rumor, innuendo and fear mongering promoted by this medium.
The reason that Hillary has fought and will fight caucus results is that it shows the most involved, actual,and passionate Democrats are solidly behind Barack Obama and these results are devoid of Republican influence.
Ultimately the super delegates will realize this and ratify the will of the people.; Reply to this comment