no knockout blow - but it's clinton on the ropes

Obama wins North Carolina by a whopping margin. Clinton scrapes a win in Indiana 51-49.

Hillary Clinton came very, very close to being forced out of the race today. About 1%, or 12,000 votes close.

Considering that the two were neck and neck in the polls up until a couple of weeks ago in Indiana, she'll be able to claim a hard-fought victory despite being outspent by Obama (in a state that his campaign predicted they would win, a few months ago).

But, in one of the paradoxes of this topsy-turvy race, Obama's rough couple of weeks, dominated by the resurgence of Wright, have (kind of) done him a favour. Everyone expected him to do worse, particularly in Indiana. Indeed, many thought Clinton would keep it close or even pull out a victory in North Carolina. But it wasn't to be, and he wins the expectations game hands down.

For Clinton, this may have been her last chance to change the game.  The next few days will see increasing pressure on her to quit. She's used to that, of course. But it will be interesting to see if and by how much the pressure rises. How loud will be the chorus of commentators calling for Clinton to cede the field? Will any of her supporters join them, privately or publicly?

What will the Clintons' calculations be about their chances of victory now? What have they got left in their bag?

Some other commentary:

Tim Russert paints a very bleak picture for Clinton in this clip from last night's coverage
Slate's John Dickerson's take on the results here
The NYT's Nagourney here

Comments

[Jim Godfrey]

Obama's speech last night was a return to form (after a number of lacklustre cut and paste jobs) and harked back to the kind of speeches he was making a few months ago. He looked presidential, took on some of the criticism about himself ('i'm not perfect') and he repeatedly asserted and explained why he loves America - something some have doubted about him in the past.

You can watch it here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ki-oMjmwiUA