Obama Clinches Democratic Nomination

Networks are estimating that Barack Obama has secured the support of enough delegates to become the presumptive nominee — but Hillary Clinton isn’t exiting the race just yet. PJM has been compiling the best in news and analysis from across the net.

Obama’s Speech in a Nutshell: Change. Hope. Health care for all, and make the evil corporations pay for it. Surrender in Iraq. (LGF)

Gaps and Contrasts: “Barack Obama had rhetorical lift and volume tonight. John McCain had neither but quite a bit of substance.” (Jennifer Rubin)

How Obama Won and Clinton Lost: “This is a race that Clinton could have won and should have won, and came very close. And her gender ultimately didn’t have much to do with the loss.” (Matthew Dowd)

Hillary’s Tough Decision: “Staying in the campaign will not be very expensive now that the priimaries are over. And Obama may be one or two damaging YouTubes away from becoming borderline unviable.” (Power Line)

Report: Clinton Seeking Private Meeting with Obama (Mark Halperin)

Hillary’s not conceding anything: “She just made a reference to ‘count every vote,’ which would suggest she’s not at peace with the DNC decision on Michigan and Florida.” (Jim Geraghty)

Click “Read” for more updated coverage…

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An Astonishing Fact: “A black man will be his party’s nominee to be president of the United States. If you were a betting man and you had to place a bet on who is going to win in November, you would be prudent to place it on him.” (John Podhoretz)

A Few Points on McCain’s Speech: “One — McCain is a very bad public speaker.” (Matthew Yglesias)

Liveblogging Hillary’s Speech (TalkLeft)

GOP Eager to Use Video of Hillary to Attack Obama: “You can concede, but you can’t take back that video.” (Ann Althouse)

Remarks of Senator Barack Obama — Final Primary Night (Drudge)

Clinton Wins South Dakota (Fox News)

McCain Officially Recognizes Obama as Opponent: “McCain welcomed Democrat Barack Obama to the fall campaign for the White House on Tuesday with a blistering attack on his judgment and a charge that he ‘voted to deny funds to the soldiers who have done a brilliant job’ in Iraq.” (AP)

A Farewell to Hillary: “It’s enough to make a grown woman cry.” (Michelle Cottle)

Pawlenty: McCain will compete for Clinton backers (Jonathan Martin)

Clinton Campaign Confronts AP Report that Hillary will concede: “Asked what Mrs. Clinton would say if tonight ‘the numbers are on the side of’ Obama, Mr. Ickes said, ‘When you hear it you’ll hear it.’” (The Caucus Blog)

Former President Carter says he will endorse Obama: “The fact is the Obama people already know they have my vote when the polls close tonight.” (AP)

Golden Boy Wheezing Across Finish Line: “But even as Hillary Clinton sends mixed signals about her willingness to leave the race, Obama, unlike his counterparts in recent presidential cycles, is not exactly sprinting across the finish line.” (Jammie Wearing Fool)

Clinton says she’s open to becoming Obama’s VP: “Hillary Rodham Clinton has told congressional colleagues she would be open to becoming Barack Obama’s vice presidential nominee, saying she would consider it if it would help Democrats win the White House.”(AP)

“Senator Clinton Will Not Concede the Nomination this Evening” (Time)

Dianne Feinstein Tells Clinton It’s Time to End (CNN)

Clinched: “Barack Obama has effectively clinched the Democratic presidential nomination, based on an Associated Press tally of convention delegates.” (AP)

It’s a Surge: “A tsunami of superdelegates is poised to rush to Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) over the next 12 hours, giving him a mathematical lock on his party’s presidential nomination.” (Politico)

Dems In Chaos: “The Republican National Committee will send out an agenda-setting memo later this afternoon that portrays the Democratic Party in a state of disarray and claims that legions of Hillary Clinton voters are poised to jump to John McCain.” (Marc Ambinder)

Lengthy Primary Season Was a Boon to Cable News (Reuters)

Five things to Watch in South Dakota … and Montana (Politico)

Clinton Set to Concede? “Hillary Rodham Clinton will concede Tuesday night that Barack Obama has the delegates to secure the Democratic nomination, campaign officials said, effectively ending her bid to be the nation’s first female president.” (AP) — UPDATE: Fox News (live broadcast, no link) reports that Terry McAuliffe of the Hillary campaign categorically denies the Associated Press report.

Obama Pushes Effort to Claim Victory Tonight: “The rollout of the Congressional endorsements as the polls close on Tuesday night is intended to show that the party is coalescing behind him.” (NY Times)

Bill’s Last Day? “‘I want to say also, that this may be the last day I’m ever involved in a campaign of this kind,’ the former president said at a town hall at the Milbank Visitor Center.” (First Read)

Let’s End it Already: “It won’t be easy, but let’s hope that tonight, after the voting ends in South Dakota and Montana, Hillary Clinton starts the work of unifying the Democratic party.” (Daily Kos)

Hillary’s Only Chance of Redemption: “There is only one place for her to be tonight: St. Paul, Minn. That is where Barack Obama will kick off his general-election campaign tonight.” (Charles Hurt @ NY Post)

August, and no earlier: “A Clinton donor tells me that on a conference call today with major fundraisers this afternoon, Harold Ickes told them Clinton isn’t planning to drop out. He pressed donors to stay unified, and reviewed tactical options, including challenging the Michigan delegation.” (Ben Smith)

Superdelegates Predict Quick Primary End: “As the Democratic nomination marathon neared a potential finish line, key senators said the results of Tuesday’s South Dakota and Montana primaries will have a domino effect on uncommitted superdelegates – quite possibly clinching the nomination for Barack Obama.” (Politico)

Hillary’s South Dakota Surge: Latest poll has Hillary ahead by 26 points in South Dakota: Obama by four points in Montana (American Research Group)

Montana: The Democrats’ Last Stand: “The main issues that concern Montanans: high gas prices and gun rights.” (Time)

Competing Until The End: “Hillary drops a positive last-minute mailer in Montana, another indication that she’s spending at least a bit of money to compete in the final states until the last.” (TPM Election Central)

A Muddy Endgame (CQ Politics)

Trouble Signs As Obama Closes In: “Obama, unlike his counterparts in recent presidential cycles, is not exactly sprinting across the finish line.”(Boston Globe)

Clinton Hinting At the VP Slot? A close friend and adviser: “She will do whatever it takes to bring the party together to win and whatever is asked of her to make sure the Republicans are defeated.” (CNN Political Ticker)

Hillary Sure Sounds Like She’s Ready to Rock On (Video @ Hot Air)

The Clintons’ Mixed Message: “On the day before the curtain dropped on an interminable 2008 primary season, Bill Clinton upstaged his wife one more time.” (Newsday)