“No matter what happens tonight we have nearly the same delegate lead we had this morning and we are on our way to winning this nomination,” Obama told his supporters, using ‘hope’ and ‘change’ at least eight times in his 10-minute address. On plans for students, he said he will not allow cost to become a hindrance for American children “in competing with children in India or China”. It was apparently an extension of his campaign against outsourcing of jobs by US companies.

Al Green, US House of Representative from Texas, who had come to Obama’s rally, put up a brave front, saying one victory or loss could not decide a Presidential nomination. “We all knew it was going to be a close fight. But he (Obama) still represents the will of the people and leads in the number of delegates. He is well on the highway to the White House,” Green told The Indian Express.

The modest group of supporters did raise some slogans and roars but this paled against the wild celebrations in the Clinton camp in Ohio where supporters sent up balloons and all kinds of colourful objects into the air as Clinton, clearly delighted, addressed them.

“As Ohio goes, so goes the nation. This nation is coming back and so is the campaign,” said Hillary, referring to that little bit of recent history about nobody making it to the White House without winning the Ohio primary. “People of Ohio have said we are going on and we are going on. We are going strong and we are going all the way,” she said.

... contd.