Dear Sen. Clinton,

It's over. Please accept reality — Sen. Obama leads in pledged delegates, super delegates, the popular vote and states won — and bow out gracefully. Wait until you win West Virginia if you want to go out on a triumphant note. But please do it soon.

As soon as John Kerry lost the 2004 election, I knew that you'd more than likely be the 2008 Democratic nominee for president. You had power, money, influence and an air of inevitability. Eventually I'd also see more than hint of entitlement, which is how this story came to its conclusion.

You believed that after Super Tuesday, you would be the nominee. You didn't plan, strategically or financially, to wage war beyond Feb. 5. And because of that, you were ill-equipped. Where Obama's campaign waged a 50-state strategy, you seemed lost. You've had your victories since then, yes. But they came at a cost — instilling a sense of division between the old and young, black and white, white- and blue-collar, educated and not, a division that we cannot have as we exit the Bush era. Our current social, militaristic and economic problems can only be solved if we work together.

There was no reason for you not to win this nomination. You were a powerful senator, former first lady, wealthy and running against a biracial, first-term senator whose surname rhymes with 'Osama.' The nomination should have been yours. Instead you were defeated through careful strategy and the grassroots efforts of a bunch of college kids.

Please don't think that I don't respect your work in public life. Your contributions to healthcare and your grace in humiliating circumstances mean that I will always hold you in some esteem. I also have to thank you for giving women the chance to finally be taken seriously as presidential candidates. But I've come far enough to know that voting for a woman only because she's a woman does as much damage to our cause as people NOT voting for someone because she's a woman.

There is most certainly a place for you in government, and there's no reason why you can't continue to become a modern stateswoman. Your true gifts lie in legislating, and I'm confident that you have a good future in the Senate. I hope that you will support Sen. Obama in his campaign, whether you are chosen as his running mate or not. I hope that you will encourage your followers to do the same. I especially hope that you don't see a failure on Obama's part to mean a 2012 run for yourself and work to make that the scenario. I hope that you do indeed have the interests of the country at heart.

You've run a good campaign and very nearly won the nomination. But the time has come to step aside.

The (Very) Early Word

Voters are showing up early, so so am I.

The New York Times reports heavy early-morning voter turnout in North Carolina, and large turnouts in both rural and suburban Indiana. High turnout in rural areas is usually good news for Sen. Hillary Clinton, while IU students are standing on street corners near their campuses waving "Honk for Hope" signs for Sen. Barack Obama

Obama has been leading in North Carolina, while Indiana has been a virtual tie. The Indianapolis Star endorsed Clinton.

We're nearing the end of the road of primary season. West Virginia will hold ...

6:22 p.m.

The polls in Pennsylvania are about 40 minutes away from closing, but CNN is going over early exit polls. Newly registered voters backed Sen. Barack Obama while late decision makers went for Sen. Hillary Clinton. Clinton is likely to do better in rural Pennsylvania, where she plays well with blue collar workers. Obama is likely to do well in large cities like Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.

This primary is a must-win for Clinton. Which seems odd to me because she's lost a lot of "must-win" primaries before and she's still here. If she loses, the pressure to withdraw ...

If you've had a peek at the New York Times or any other news organization this morning, you'll notice that the lead story involves Arizona Sen. John McCain, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, and a female lobbyist, Vicki Iseman. According to the article, McCain and Iseman became involved during McCain's first presidential run eight years ago. Allegedly, the relationship worried McCain's aides so much that they had to actively intervene to prevent a scandal.

The article is not without controversy, obviously. Times people acknowledged that they've seen sitting on the story, and the article makes use of anonymous sources. It ...

Wisconsin Primaries

Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain are projected to carry the Wisconsin primaries, according to CNN.

This is very problematic for Sen. Clinton, because Wisconsin should have easily been hers. Blue collar workers, a primary and lots of women. Yet she was defeated by double digits.

Hawaii Caucus

Obama won the Hawaii caucus as well, by a commanding margin. No surprise here, given that he grew up in Hawaii.

Final Words

McCain edges ever closer to his delegate threshold, and should have little problem eventually reaching it, even with Huckabee in the race.

Clinton has lost 10 ...

It's been a good Valentine's Day for Sen. Hillary Clinton and Sen. John McCain.

Clinton was finally declared the winner of the Feb. 5 New Mexico primary...just barely. The tally was so close that it took nine days for the state's election commission to count the votes. Since the state distributes delegates proportionally, they'll both end up with roughly the same amount of delegates, but it's a bright spot in Clinton's otherwise gloomy February.

Gov. Mitt Romney, who dropped out of the race on Super Tuesday, endorsed McCain's candidacy today. Whether it will have any effect, positive or negative, remains ...

Before We Start...

Arizona Sen. John McCain is still trying to prove that he's conservative enough to deserve the nomination. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee insists on staying in the Republican race, saying his appeal proves that there's a niche in the Republican race that he can fill.

New York Sen. Hillary Clinton has already all but conceded defeat in Virginia, Maryland and Washington DC tonight. She's already in Texas, campaigning there in anticipation for the state's March 4 primary.

CNN and Fox are reporting high voter turnout in all three contests. Virginia will be the first state to report ...

Sen. Hillary Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama will debate each other in Austin, Tex., on Feb. 21. The second debate will take place in Cleveland on Feb. 26. Texas and Ohio hold their primaries, critical for both candidates, on March 4.

Obama was set to meet with former senator and presidential candidate John Edwards today, but the meeting was canceled because of scheduling and increased media attention.

Sen. Hillary Clinton spoke to former Sen. John Edwards on Sunday, and Sen. Barack Obama will speak to Edwards on Monday. Their motives? Edwards only racked up about 26 delegates (by the AP's count) before exiting the race, but he had large support from blue collar workers, white men and unions. His endorsement, therefore, would be a boon for either candidate. Clinton needs all the help she can get as she faces the electoral drought that is February, and Obama could use union support in states like Ohio and Pennsylvania. The two states currently favor Clinton, but if Obama wins ...

The Maine Democratic Caucus

3:03 p.m.

With 11 percent of the vote in, Sen. Barack Obama leads Sen. Hillary Clinton, 50 percent to 48 percent.

5:29 p.m.

Obama continues to lead Clinton in Maine, 57 percent to 42 percent with 59 percent of the vote in. The final results won't be in until the last caucusing ends at around 7 p.m.

6:30 p.m.

Obama is projected to win the Maine Democratic caucus with 58 percent of the vote to Clinton's 41 percent, with 79 percent of the vote in. Obama has swept all of the weekend contests.

Weekend Wrap-Up

Republicans