From NBC's Kelly O'Donnell and NBC/NJ's Adam Aigner Treworgy
Senior McCain aides say Romney did not call him before his speech and there was no contact -- at least yet.

A top McCain advisor hadn't heard anything about Romney's decision to suspend campaign. "Last time I check Gov. Huckabee is still in this race," he said, so plans to campaign will not change.

From NBC/NJ's Erin McPike
WASHINGTON -- Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney used this year's CPAC confab here as the venue to bring his presidential bid to a close.

"If I fight on in my campaign, all the way to the convention, I would forestall the launch of a national campaign and make it more likely that Sen. Clinton or Obama would win," Romney said in his remarks.

As the results were rolling in on Super Tuesday, the Weekly Standard's Fred Barnes correctly predicted on FOX that Romney would likely exit the presidential race during his CPAC appearance.

Several scenarios abounded regarding the road ahead should Romney have stayed in the race (including a situation the campaign explained to the New York Times that had the campaign hoping they could nab many of the delegates up for grabs in the event of a Huckabee concession), but too many prognosticators deemed the odds mathematically impossible.

Romney employed many of the same lines in his speech that he's used on the stump throughout his campaign. And he confirmed one obvious thing that he admitted in his book, Turnaround, following his failed 1994 Senate campaign: He hates to lose.

From NBC/NJ's Aswini Anburajan
NEW ORLEANS -- With an absence of pomp and circumstance, plus a lack of campaign literature, large HOPE signs, and music that usually swells as if it would introduce a rock star, Obama took the stage at Tulane with a sober introduction and sobering message on the state of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.

The policies that Obama introduced were not new; he had introduced a Katrina recovery plan on the second anniversary of the storm earlier this year. But he revisited them and his focus on educational policy just two days before Louisiana will hold a presidential primary.

Certain aspects of Obama's program stood out, designed to curry favor with local residents to help New Orleanians reap economic benefits. For example, jobs and contracts awarded for reconstruction should go to a resident of the city first. 

"The policies of my administration don't end in places like the Ninth Ward. They begin in places like the Ninth Ward," Obama told the crowd, speaking of the devastated area of the city that came to symbolize the depth of poverty not only in New Orleans but in the country.

Calling New Orleans a "tale of two cities," Obama urged the students at Tulane University, where he was speaking, to stay in their community after graduation to rebuild New Orleans. He also emphasized his education policies, positioning them as a necessary fulcrum to help residents here lift themselves out of poverty.

Obama saved most of his criticisms for Bush, but he seemed to have Clinton in his sights when he said, "You challenge the status quo and suddenly the claws come out."

The crowd was rowdy by the time Obama finished, cheering loudly and turning their cheer for The Saints into one for Obama.

"Who'd that? Who'd that? Who'd them say they gonna beat Obama?" the students chanted as the filed out. The campaign estimated that 3,5000 people were present to hear Obama's speech, with an overflow crowd of 1,500 people. After the speech Obama, spoke to the overflow and went to tour a local school where students are still learning in modular trailers. After Louisiana, Obama head to Lincoln, NE.

From NBC's Chuck Todd
The first test of a Mike Huckabee in the post-Mitt Romney world as a conservative alternative to John McCain comes in Virginia. It's a fascinating test, frankly; Virginia's Republican electorate could be much more conservative than folks realize.

Why? The presence of Barack Obama, who has been a magnet for independent voters. Virginia doesn't have party registration; many a moderate indie or even a very moderate Republican from Northern Virginia could decide to vote in the Democratic primary race. Virginia has a decent sized evangelical population and no doubt Huckabee has tapped into those folks already.

Sure, there's a sizable veterans population that McCain could do well with, but keep an eye on Tuesday's Virginia primary; it's Huckabee's last chance to prove he can beat McCain somewhere.

Sure, it's a Southern state, but it's one that allows indies to crossover and would be a blemish on McCain if he lost. Frankly, it's probably Huckabee's last stand to prove viability as a serious alternative. If he can't win under what may be ideal circumstances for his campaign; then next week may bring another exit from the race.

From NBC's Domenico Montanaro
In her introduction of Romney at CPAC, talk-radio host Laura Ingraham ripped McCain. She said of the three remaining Republican candidates, she's glad to introduce "the conservative." She said it's about "what you've done for us lately" (read: not in the 80s when you claim to have been a foot soldier for Ronald Reagan). She then added, Let's all "calm down" for Mitt Romney -- mockingly parroting McCain's language yesterday.

It's an interesting tack as Romney is reportedly set to drop his presidential bid.

NBC News has confirmed that Romney will be getting out of the race.

From NBC's Mark Murray
The AP writes, "Democratic Sen. Barack Obama has raised $7.2 million for his presidential campaign since the first polls closed on Super Tuesday night, his campaign said Thursday."

Actually, per the campaign's Web site, the number is now $7.5 million and counting...

*** UPDATE *** The Atlantic's Marc Ambinder has the Clinton haul, as of 11:00 am ET, at nearly $5 million.

*** UPDATE II *** Per a Team Clinton press release we just received," The Clinton campaign today announced that it raised more than $4 million online in the day after polls closed on Super Tuesday. It was Hillary's biggest single day of contributions since the campaign's launch. The campaign had set a goal of raising $3 million in three days -- and exceeded its target in less than 24 hours. The new goal is $6 million in 72 hours."

From NBC/NJ's Matthew E. Berger
MORRISTOWN, NJ -- The plane carrying the Huckabee traveling press -- but not the candidate or his staff -- made an emergency landing here after the flight panel went out on the Hawker 1000 plane. An emergency vehicle met the plane upon landing.

The plane's seven passengers were not informed of the problem until the plane touched down without incident in Morristown. It was scheduled to land at Teterboro Airport.

The pilots said they lost all flight controls and both were needed to keep the altitude under control.

Huckabee's plane is expected to land at Teterboro.

From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, and Domenico Montanaro
*** Deadlocked: Bloomberg News has the political junkie scoop of the post-Feb. 5 news cycle: that according to an accidental Obama campaign release, the Clinton-Obama match up will end in a virtual delegate draw. "Obama's advisers are predicting victories in 19 of the remaining 27 Democratic primaries and caucuses, with Clinton winning the big states of Texas, Ohio and Pennsylvania, according to the scenario attached to a spreadsheet showing the campaign's Super Tuesday delegate breakdown. The analysis envisions an Obama winning streak over the next 12 days. It projects victories in the Louisiana primary and caucuses in Nebraska and Washington state on Feb. 9 and a narrow loss to Clinton on Feb. 10 in Maine. Obama is looking to sweep the Feb. 12 primaries in Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C., and get victories in Hawaii and Wisconsin a week later." Normally, we'd assume this was an expectations-setting game. And maybe it is. But their analysis seems to be based on the number of working class and/or Hispanic Democrats in various states; check out the states Obama's team believes it will lose: Maine, Texas, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, West Virginia and Kentucky. All of those states have a lot more blue-collar Democrats than white-wine drinking Democrats. So it's a very realistic assessment.

*** Body language: After Tuesday night's amazing tie between Clinton and Obama -- how else do you describe it? -- the two campaigns had divergent day-after responses. The body language of Obama's was that of a front-runner, that of a campaign that feels as if it won something Tuesday. Clinton's campaign body language was of a team not sure what to do next. The announcement of the $5 million personal loan and the lack of announcements of key endorsements in these next round of states just gives an impression of a campaign that's hunkered down. Interestingly, it took Clinton announcing the personal loan to finally convince the chattering class that Obama's got more resources. This has been true for more than a month and yet it's amazing how so few folks realized it. Then again, can you blame them? Who knew the Clintons would be out-raised? So far, by the way, it appears the Clinton announcement of the personal loan is sparking some online fundraising, something the campaign has struggled with

*** Welcome to front-runner status: Speaking of, the burden of expectations is shifting to Obama on a number of levels: money, endorsements, and the upcoming Chesapeake Tuesday contests. And then there's today's front-page New York Times piece, which wonders why Obama fell short in California and some other big states on Tuesday -- rather than asking, for example, why the biggest name in the Democratic Party lost at least 13 out of 22 contests on Super Tuesday. The bottom line is that there are a lot of folks wondering why Obama can't close the deal, which is also a sign that many folks are now convinced she can't close the deal without Obama relenting. Does Obama, though, have the same problem? Why can't he win over enough working-class Democrats to get the nomination? He will not get a delegate majority until he cracks this code. His Hispanic problem is largely out of the way. Short of Texas and Puerto Rico, just about every other competitive state will be a showdown for Obama over whether he can win over the beer-drinking Democrats. 

*** McCain's big speech: Forget his September convention acceptance speech, McCain's speech today at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) -- and the reception it gets -- may be more important than any speech he gives all year. Remember that he skipped addressing the group last year, and his name got booed there. McCain is walking a fine line: He's on the verge of nabbing the GOP nomination, which is usually the time when a nominee-to-be starts shifting his rhetoric to the center. But right now, that's the last thing McCain can do. He's got to reassure folks on the right. But with Clinton and Obama still battling, McCain does have one thing going for him as he tries to placate conservatives: time.

*** What does Romney say? While most of us will be watching the audience response to McCain's CPAC speech, don't forget about Romney. What does he say/do today? Is this really the first major speech of his 2012 campaign for the GOP nod? Does the burden of running as a conservative candidate in 2012 mean he can't get out today since conservatives aren't ready to concede to McCain? This is the line Romney's walking. On one hand, he probably doesn't want to throw good money after bad. On the other, he doesn't want to disappoint anti-McCain conservatives too quickly since he may want to the GOP nominee in 2012. And clearly the party has a pattern of nominating the runner-up.

*** Just asking: Has the Clinton campaign now opened up Chelsea Clinton to more coverage? Is she no longer off-limits? The Politico's Mike Allen reports today that Chelsea will be campaigning on her mother's behalf in Nebraska in the next 24 hours. We also read she's been calling superdelegates. And she even called the members of The View! 

*** Preventing a brokered convention: So what's Howard Dean up to? "I think we will have a nominee sometime in the middle of March or April," Dean told the NY1 cable news channel on Wednesday, per the New York Times. "But if we don't, then we're going to have to get the candidates together and make some kind of an arrangement. Because I don't think we can afford to have a brokered convention; that would not be good news for either party."

*** On the trail: The Republicans -- most notably McCain -- make their case to the Conservative Political Action Committee, or CPAC, in Washington, D.C. Cheney speaks at 11:00 am ET; Romney at 12:30 pm; McCain takes the stage at 3:00 pm; Paul at 4:30 pm; President Bush speaks tomorrow morning; and Huckabee goes Sunday. On the Dem side, Clinton speaks at a high school in Arlington, VA, while Obama hits Louisiana, Washington, and Nebraska -- three states that hold contests Saturday.

Countdown to Chesapeake Tuesday: 5 days
Countdown to Ohio and Texas: 26 days
Countdown to Election Day 2008: 271 days
Countdown to Inauguration Day 2009: 348 days

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CLINTON vs. OBAMA.
"A day after Super Tuesday's 22-state battle for 1,681 delegates, updated delegate counts indicated Obama ran roughly even with Clinton in the one-day contest, a strong outcome for him given that she had long been favored to win. With each candidate drawing support from broad constituencies, the 13 contests over the next month may do nothing to resolve the standoff."

Obama's campaign seems more prepared for this next week of primaries and caucuses than Clinton's. For instance, the Obama camp already has a schedule for this next week; Clinton's doesn't yet. "The two candidates planned to campaign in Washington, Maine and Virginia in the coming days; Mr. Obama was traveling to Louisiana on Wednesday evening, and Clinton advisers said they expected Mrs. Clinton to campaign there, too." Of course, this may explain why. "One Clinton adviser explained the focus on March 4 this way: 'There's a chance we may not win a single primary or caucus in February, so we're banking on Ohio and Texas.'"

More: "Clinton advisers -- who said Mrs. Clinton was willing to contribute more money if need be -- cited a number of factors for the loan: the high expenses in the coming weeks, especially in Ohio and Texas, and a desire not to be outspent by Mr. Obama on television. The Clinton campaign will have advertisements starting Thursday in Louisiana, Maine, Nebraska and Washington. The Obama camp, meanwhile, is advertising in all of the upcoming states and just went on the air in Wisconsin."

Should Obama be threatening superdelegates? Is this the way to woo them?

By the way, who is the front-runner? The candidate with all the historic clout or the candidate with all the cash?

The Clinton campaign doesn't believe there have been enough debates this cycle… Campaign manager Patti Solis Doyle just sent this letter to Obama manager David Plouffe. "I was disappointed to see that Senator Obama rejected the idea of having more debates given the fact that he and Senators Clinton have had only a single one-on-one debate.  I think we can do better and so does Hillary," she wrote. Senator Clinton believes voters should have more than one opportunity to see the candidates discuss the issues and has accepted five debates between now and March 4th from CNN, MSNBC, WJLA, ABC and Fox News. To that end, we hope Senator Obama will join Senator Clinton for a debate a week beginning this weekend.  I'm sure we can find a suitable place to meet on the campaign trail.  There's too much at stake and the issues facing the country are too grave to deny voters the opportunity to see the candidates up close."

VIRGINIA: Clinton to target Virginia? "Strategists in both campaigns had once regarded Obama (Ill.) as well-positioned to sweep Virginia, Maryland and the District in next week's first-ever regional primary. All three jurisdictions are rich in the African American, upper-income and independent voters who have sustained his campaign. But advisers to Clinton (N.Y.) are now mapping out a strategy that does not exclude Maryland and the District but focuses heavily on fast-growing outer suburbs such as Prince William and Loudoun counties in Northern Virginia and the state's economically struggling rural southwest, where unemployment is high among white working-class voters."

Obama strategists have broken Virginia into four parts -- Northern Virginia, Richmond, Charlottesville and the Tidewater area -- all of which are filled with the voters they seek. He is expected to hold events in all four areas as he blitzes the region Sunday and Monday. Kevin Griffis, an Obama spokesman, said the Illinois senator will be more appealing than Clinton to Northern Virginians, including the area's significant number of self-described independents. In Virginia, voters are free to decide on Election Day which party's primary they will participate in."

By the way, did we know that Mark Warner's wife, Lisa Collis, was supporting Obama?  Apparently so. She and Tim Kaine's wife, Anne Holton, are leading "Virginia Women for Obama."

Apparently, the DNC is urging the two states whose delegates were wiped off the convention delegate map (Florida and Michigan) to hold new elections. Obviously, without a state sanctioned primary, this would mean the two state parties holding either caucuses or conventions to elect their delegates.

Caucuses, in general, have favored Obama but with so many delegates at stake, showdowns in these two states would become huge.

CLINTON: The cover of the New York Post: "No wonder she cried… HILL'S $5M LOAN." "The moves were revealed as Clinton and Barack Obama hunkered down for a war of attrition for the Democratic nomination after Super Tuesday failed to crown a winner. And a series of contests in the coming weeks seem likely to favor the Illinois senator."

The Clinton campaign points out it 'had one of our best fundraising efforts ever on the web today,' spokesman Howard Wolfson said." 
 
Per NBC's Andrea Mitchell, "Sources say Clinton's campaign manager Patti Solis Doyle spent too much in Iowa -- and ended up losing anyway. One big payout -- $4 million dollars to top strategist Mark Penn. Aides say after losing Iowa, Clinton found out about the money problems, which explains why she suddenly gave up her expensive private jet and started riding with the press. She tried to make a joke of it - at the time… But, for a candidate, there's nothing funny about being short of cash just as the race is accelerating. Now she has to pick where to spend scarce resources."

And as Mitchell also reported, some Clinton campaign staffers have voluntarily chosen to work without pay this month, as the campaign faces a cash crunch against Obama, who outraised her in January by a wide margin. Those working for free include Campaign Manager Patti Solis Doyle.

The Clinton campaign, meanwhile, sent around a dispatch from pro-Clinton blogger Taylor Marsh, who reports that the Clinton camp met its three-day goal of raising $3 million, and will issue a challenge of raising $6 million over the next 72 hours.

OBAMA: Per the Obama campaign Web site, as of last night at 6:25 pm, the campaign had raised $6.8 million since polls closed on Super Tuesday.

On the day that Hillary Clinton's campaign announced that the candidate had loaned herself $5 million in late January, the Obama campaign is using that fact to solicit even more funds from their own donors, NBC/NJ's Aswini Anburajan reports.  "The Clinton campaign just announced that Hillary and Bill Clinton injected $5 million of their personal fortune into her campaign a few days ago. This is a dramatic move, and a clear acknowledgment that our campaign has the momentum," Obama manager David Plouffe writes in an email.
 
Plouffe goes on to ask that supporters donate to match the Clinton "infusion" of cash which he claims could go up to $20 million dollars and "will give them a huge resources for the next set of primaries and caucuses."

So why can't Obama close the deal when momentum is at his back? The New York Times' Nagourney wonders about this today. "[O]ne of the most intriguing finding in the surveys of voters leaving the polls across the nation on Tuesday was when they arrived at their final decision. Throughout a week when Mr. Obama was campaigning with members of the Kennedy family, when there was a sense that he was creating a movement that cut across racial and generational lines, there was a steady movement of Democrats toward Mr. Obama, the survey suggested. But those who reported making their decision on the last day bucked the trend, tending to vote for Mrs. Clinton, of New York. Mr. Obama more than held his own against Mrs. Clinton: he won more states and may well have won more delegates, once all of them, including those from caucus states, are officially allocated."

"But once again -- as in New Hampshire -- the result on Tuesday did not match the fervor that had been signaled by Mr. Obama's dramatic march of rallies across the nation leading up to the vote. In that dynamic rests one of the central questions about the Obama candidacy, which may well go the heart of whether he can win the presidency. Is this campaign a series of surges of enthusiasm, often powered by the younger voters who form long lines waiting to hear Mr. Obama speak, that set expectations that are not met at the voting booth?"

"Or is it rather a slow-building force, one that despite faltering in New Hampshire and falling short on Tuesday in big states like California has allowed Mr. Obama to battle one of the most formidable political dynasties to a draw and will eventually propel him to victory?" 

A case for why Huckabee and Romney should stay in the race comes from one of Huckabee's consultants. "Dick Dresner, a senior advisor to Huckabee, said McCain's rivals still have a chance to shape the direction of the party by continuing their campaigns. 'It's in both of their interests to keep going, show the strength of the conservative wing of the party,' Dresner said."

HUCKABEE: "Huckabee's strong showing fuels speculation that John McCain is considering him as a vice-presidential running mate to shore up support among religious conservatives." The Post also writes Huckabee's "unlikely campaign resembles a traveling carnival fueled by the Baptist preacher's considerable oratorical skills. He travels with his most famous supporters -- karate actor Chuck Norris and pro wrestler Ric Flair -- and at virtually every stop, he plays the bass guitar."

MCCAIN: The Los Angeles Times' lead: "With John McCain racking up delegates on a steady march toward the Republican presidential nomination, deeply conservative voters are at a loss. They don't like McCain. They've tried, and failed, to stop him. So it was with growing frustration, and an unaccustomed sense of impotence, that many conservatives surveyed the electoral map Wednesday."

"His appearance at [CPAC] is a measure of how far McCain has traveled over the last year to smooth some of the edges of his political profile. In 2007, McCain spurned an invitation to address the conference. When the group held a presidential poll, McCain came in last among five candidates. His name was booed."

How important is McCain's speech at CPAC today? "It's important," McCain strategist Charlie Black said of the speech. "It's just part of the process of consolidating conservative support. It's not at the level of an acceptance speech at the [Republican] convention."

Roger Simon wonders what McCain should do next. He quotes a few consultants, who suggest McCain should focus on defining Clinton and Obama.

ROMNEY: The Boston Globe: Romney "now confronts an unforgiving mathematical landscape of delegate counts, polls, and popular vote tallies that suggest the odds are overwhelmingly against his presidential bid."

From NBC's Andrea Mitchell
Breaking news, just in time for Clinton's press conference at 4:00 pm ET: Clinton loaned her campaign $5 million late last month to remain competitive financially with Obama.

Said communications director Howard Wolfson in an email to NBC News: "Late last month Senator Clinton loaned her campaign $5 million. The loan illustrates Sen. Clinton's commitment to this effort and to ensuring that our campaign has the resources it needs to compete and win across this nation. We have had one of our best fundraising efforts ever on the Web today and our Super Tuesday victories will only help in bringing more support for her candidacy."

VIDEO: At her campaign headquarters in Arlington, Va., Sen. Hillary Clinton comments on the Feb. 5 primary results and tells reporters she has donated $5 million of her own money to her campaign.

*** UPDATE *** Per NBC's Andy Merten, Clinton said at her press conference today:  "I loaned the campaign $5 million from my money. That's where I got the money.  I loaned it because I believe very strongly in this campaign. We had a great month fundraising in January, broke all records, but my opponent was able to raise more money. And we intended to be competitive, and we were. And I think the results last night proved the wisdom of my investment."

From NBC/NJ's Adam Aigner-Treworgy
Speaking with reporters today, McCain adviser Charlie Black said, "To date, we have 775 delegates, Romney has 284, Huckabee has 205. It takes 1,191 to clinch the nomination. There are 963 left to be chosen, so Romney or Huckabee would have to have all of them -- all of them -- to get to 1,191. Now you can't do that because a majority of those 963 are chosen in proportional primaries, which means you'd have to get 100% if the vote to get them all.

"It's virtually impossible for Romney or Huckabee to be the nominee just based on the arithmetic," Black added. "I see it as virtually impossible. I'm superstitious like my boss, I don't want to say anything's impossible, but it's virtually impossible on the arithmetic."

From NBC's Domenico Montanaro
With almost all of the voting in, here's the popular vote calculation for the Democrats:

Clinton 48.97% (6,967,302)
Obama 48.04% (6,835,447)

Based on totals on MSNBC.com, there are still some outstanding votes. There is only 82% reporting in Minnesota; Arkansas is 92% in; Arizona is 93% in; California is 96%; Illinois is 97%; New Mexico is 98%; Alaska looks like delegate votes not raw vote.

From NBC's Kelly O'Donnell
Senior advisors say McCain is running three ads in Virginia and will likely go up in other soon to vote  states.

The ads in rotation are:
"Never Surrender"
"True Conservative" and the newest "Trust," which uses Romney's own words about Reagan.

From NBC's Andy Merten
It seems that everyone wants to be the underdog, these days.

This morning on a conference call with reporters, Clinton strategist Mark Penn repeated several times that the Obama campaign is now the "establishment" campaign -- citing superior January fundraising, high-profile endorsements, and even Sunday's Super Bowl ad. 

Fast forward to less than an hour later: In a press conference in Chicago, Obama maintained that he is still the underdog. "Senator Clinton is a formidable opponent," he said, calling her organization a "political machine honed over two decades."

VIDEO: Sen. Barack Obama, in Chicago Wednesday, comments on Tuesday's nation-wide primaries, calling it a "big victory."

"From my perspective, this makes her the frontrunner," he added.

So Feb. 5 has come and gone, with neither Democratic hopeful yet ready to assume the mantle of lead candidate.

From NBC's Domenico Montanaro
The official delegate numbers will be trickling in during the day today. Keep an eye on First Read for updates as we know.

As of 3:15 am, the delegate totals were...

      GOP TOTALS (As of 3:15AM 02-05)                 

From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, and Domenico Montanaro
*** A split decision: The Clinton and Obama campaigns engaged in a furious game of spin before Super Tuesday, but Obama might have put it best when he said on TODAY and Morning Joe yesterday that it would end up being a split decision. In fact, after they traded state after state last night, it reminded us of "Rocky I" -- lots of drama, lots of punches landed and received, and ultimately a draw. And just like with that movie, we're now headed to a sequel to find a true winner. It looks like Obama, by the narrowest of margins, won last night's delegate hunt. By our estimates, he picked up 840 to 849 delegates versus 829-838 for Clinton; the Obama camp projects winning by nine delegates (845-836). He also won more states (13 to Clinton's eight; New Mexico is still outstanding), although she won the most populous ones (California and New York). And Obama's argument that he might be the most electable Democrat in a general election was bolstered by the fact that he won nine red states versus four for Clinton. Yet with Clinton's overall superdelegate lead (259-170, based on the lists they've released to us), and when you toss in the 63-48 lead Obama had among pledged delegates going into Super Tuesday, it appears Clinton has about 70 more overall delegates than Obama does (1140-1150 for Clinton versus 1070 to 1080 for Obama). It's that close, folks…

VIDEO: Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama talks with TODAY's Matt Lauer Tuesday about the pending Super Tuesday vote.

*** Obama's opportunity and challenge: The calendar for the next couple of weeks favors Obama, as we head into February 9 (Louisiana, Nebraska and Washington State); February 10 (Maine); February 12 (DC, Maryland, Virginia); and February 19 (Hawaii and Wisconsin). In fact, in a conference call it held with reporters on Monday, the Clinton campaign seemed like it was conceding those states when it didn't mention those states, but said it was looking ahead toward March 4 (Ohio and Texas; don't forget Rhode Island and Vermont) after Super Tuesday. Obama can certainly feel good about last night: He went toe-to-toe with Clinton in a Super Tuesday contest that once seemed to favor her. And he's on pace to have a significant financial advantage over Clinton. But as the AP's Ron Fournier writes, "Obama still has much to prove. The potential for setbacks and mistakes is high." At some point, the question will have to be asked: When or how can he put her away? Of course, last night proves that Clinton faces that very same question regarding Obama.

*** How nasty will it get? Now that a majority of the country has voted and the delegate battle is THISCLOSE, the likelihood that both campaigns will decide it's ok to go negative is high. Someone needs a knockout, particularly Clinton since she appears to have the bigger resource problem. The good news for Clinton is that the burden of expectations is on Obama; any victory between now and March 4 for Clinton will be deemed an upset and Clinton has fed off of hyped-up Obama expectations. Clinton's camp needs to peel away white men from Obama; Obama needs to peel away downscale women from Clinton. Appealing to both key demographic groups could easily lead the campaigns down the low road. By the way, what will have a greater effect on the media regarding what happened last night? The results from this weekend's events or the first wave of national polls? If Clinton is ahead in the national primary (which, by the way, should that include states that already voted? What say you pollsters?), does that mean Clinton won Super Tuesday? If Obama continues to be stronger than Clinton against McCain, does that tip things to Obama? Bottom line, as important as the delegate fight is, the national polls and the C.W. they create will be very influential, particularly with superdelegates, who are finger-in-the-wind deciders at this point.

*** McCain's win and Huck's surprise: If the name of the game is accumulating delegates, then McCain was definitely the winner on the GOP side last night. NBC's delegate total for last night (as of 3:15 am ET) was McCain 423, Romney 130, Huckabee 102, and Paul 5. The big surprise of the night was Huckabee's sweep of the South. We knew that he would end up hurting Romney in Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, and West Virginia, but we didn't anticipate him winning those states. And as a result, McCain ended up having a good night -- but not a great one. The attention now turns to Romney, who won Massachusetts, Utah, and the caucuses in the Mountain West, but little else. California was Romney's shot at a symbolic win to keep his White House hopes alive. But he fell short there, and looking at the calendar, it's hard to see where Romney could pull off a significant win to wrest the front-runner title away from McCain. Romney has to make the decision to stick in this race to March 4 (and spend in very expensive states, i.e. Texas and Ohio). This isn't about testing whether he can stop McCain in Virginia; the decision he's making today is about staying in for another four weeks.

*** Inside the exits: Looking inside the Democratic exit polls (per the last wave we saw), it is striking to us just how predictable Clinton and Obama voters are. Nationally, Clinton won among women (52%-45%), and Obama won among men (53%-42%). Obama won big among voters ages 17-29 (59%-38%), and Clinton won big among those 60 and older (55%-38%). Obama won the African-American vote (82%-16%), while Clinton won Latinos (61%-37%). Obama did seem to do better among whites (with 43% of that vote); in fact, Obama won white men (49%-44%). And Obama won among those making $200,000 or more (52%-46%), while Clinton won among those making less than $50,000. On the GOP side, McCain narrowly beat Romney among self-identified Republicans (38%-37%), among moderates (52%-24%), and those who said they were "somewhat conservative" (40%-36%). Yet among those identifying themselves as "very conservative," it was Romney 48%, Huckabee 26%, and McCain 19%.

*** Just asking: As the Washington Post asks today: What if George Allen hadn't uttered the word "Macaca" back in 2006? It's likely that he and McCain would be the GOP finalists right now…

*** London calling: And speaking of McCain, Sky News is reporting that he will be passing through London on Friday, and has requested a meeting with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

*** On the trail: Not surprisingly, there isn't that much activity the day after Super Tuesday. Clinton appears to be down; McCain holds a press conference in Phoenix before heading to DC; Obama also holds a press conference -- in Chicago -- before traveling to DC and then Baton Rouge, LA; and Romney is in Boston, where he has no public events.

Countdown to Chesapeake Tuesday: 6 days
Countdown to Ohio and Texas: 27 days
Countdown to Election Day 2008: 272 days
Countdown to Inauguration Day 2009: 349 days

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Obama won 13 states: Alabama, Alaska, Connecticut, Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Utah. Clinton won eight states: Arizona, Arkansas, California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, and Tennessee. New Mexico hasn't been called, but Obama has a very slight lead there.

The New York Times: "Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama carved up the nation in the 22-state nominating contest on Tuesday, leaving the Democratic presidential nomination more elusive than ever… It was a night of drama as millions of Democrats cleaved sharply between two candidates offering them a historic first: The opportunity to nominate a woman or an African-American to lead their party's effort to reclaim the White House. Yet it was also a night when neither Mr. Obama nor Mrs. Clinton could decisively lay claim - or even secure an edge - to the nomination, assuring an electoral fight that will unfold for weeks to come."

The Boston Globe: "Obama and Clinton began yesterday essentially tied at two victories each after voting in the first four states. And that is more or less how the day ended: Neither Obama nor Clinton scored a decisive win nationally."

The Washington Post: In many of the states Clinton won, Obama had surged from far behind to narrow the gap in the days before Super Tuesday. Her ability to hold off his charge brought a sense of relief to her campaign advisers, but the likelihood that neither would emerge with a significant advantage in delegates was a sign that their roller-coaster competition would continue."

Per the AP's Ron Fournier, Clinton and Obama "fought to a draw on Super Tuesday, splitting the delegates almost evenly while each emerged with bragging rights. Obama won the most states. Clinton seized delegate-rich California and New York. The calendar now favors Obama, whose strength among blacks and upscale, educated voters gives him the edge in states holding contests this month… So why worry? Despite Obama's successes so far, it's hard to argue with Bill Clinton that it's a 'roll of the dice"' to vote for a freshman senator less than four years removed from the Illinois legislature. Obama still has much to prove. The potential for setbacks and mistakes is high." 

The Boston Globe's Canellos: "A fierce, protracted contest between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama could sour the good feelings - or energize the party even more, depending on how the candidates conduct themselves."

McCain won nine states: Arizona, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, and Oklahoma. Romney won seven: Alaska, Colorado, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, and Utah. And Huckabee won five: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Tennessee, and West Virginia.

The New York Times: "Senator John McCain of Arizona won the most states and appeared poised to win the most delegates on Tuesday with impressive primary victories in the delegate-rich states of California, New York and Illinois. Mike Huckabee, the former Arkansas governor, revived his candidacy with victories across the South. Their strong showings posed a serious challenge to the candidacy of Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, who vowed to press on with his campaign after winning in Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, Massachusetts, Utah and Alaska."

The Washington Post says McCain "surged closer toward the Republican nomination yesterday by capturing the biggest Super Tuesday states, including California, but failed to knock out his rivals, who deprived him of victories across GOP strongholds in the South and West… Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee scored a surprising sweep of his native South, while former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney picked up a number of states in the West but fell short in critical battlegrounds that would have established him as McCain's primary challenger. Huckabee and Romney vowed last night to stay in the race as it moves to Virginia, Maryland and the District on Tuesday."

According to the Boston Globe, "Romney knew John McCain would be a tough competitor on Super Tuesday. What he didn't count on was Mike Huckabee's strong showing, which stopped Romney from staying close to McCain in the delegate chase for the nomination."

A Romney campaign aide said Wednesday will be a day of "frank discussions," NBC's John Yang and NBC/NJ's Matthew E. Berger reported last night. The aide said Romney will meet with aides in Boston Wednesday and is expected to speak at CPAC Thursday. The aide added that part of the discussion will be whether to travel to Kansas on Friday to campaign for the caucus.

But Berger also noted that Romney aides were trying to make clear late last night that they will continue to go forward. The campaign released quotes from Romney's speech highlighting that the campaign goes on to the convention. 

The AP writes up the exit polls. "McCain won a majority of the votes of Republicans who called themselves moderates, while Romney won just 38 percent of the votes of Republicans who call themselves conservatives. McCain won 39 percent of self-described Republicans, compared to 34 percent for Romney. Huckabee got the votes of 21 percent of Republicans and 24 percent of conservatives, enough to keep Romney from winning in a number of states."

Per NBC's Sarah Demarest, Huckabee addressed supporters in Little Rock, AR last night.  While some may have predicted that Huckabee may soon be bowing out of the GOP race, he made an attempt to assure voters that he is in it until someone reaches the magic delegate number of 1,191. "As long as there's still votes and delegates to be won until that magic number of 1,191 there's going to be one guy answering the bell every time there's a new round." He added, "Over the past few days a lot of people have been trying to say that this is a two man race well you know what it is and we're in it."

From NBC's Chris Donovan
 
MCCAIN
9 states
3 red states /6 blue states
 
ROMNEY
6 states
4 red states / 2 blue states
 
HUCKABEE
5 states
5 red states
 
OBAMA
13 states
9 red states / 4 blue states
 
CLINTON
8 states
4 red states / 4 blue states
 
 
REPUBLICANS
 
MCCAIN 
Arizona 
California
Connecticut
Delaware
Illinois
Missouri
New Jersey
New York
Oklahoma
 
ROMNEY
Colorado
Massachusetts 
Minnesota
Montana
North Dakota
Utah
 
HUCKABEE
Alabama
Arkansas
Georgia  
Tennessee
West Virginia
 
DEMOCRATS
 
CLINTON
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Massachusetts
New Jersey
New York
Oklahoma
Tennessee
 
OBAMA
Alabama 
Alaska
Connecticut 
Colorado
Delaware
Georgia
Idaho
Illinois
Kansas
Minnesota 
Missouri
North Dakota
Utah

From NBC/NJ's Adam Aigner-Treworgy
PHOENIX, Ariz. -- Just a few minutes before John McCain was scheduled to speak here at the Biltmore Hotel, the crowd was relatively subdued. Slightly older and well sated by food and drink, there had been surprisingly little cheering, chanting and screaming throughout the night when a news network called a state for McCain.

Not unlike many members of the media, it seemed the audience here was still trying to figure out how to judge a victory in this near-national primary, but when McCain finally did come out and began his speech he immediately addressed their confusion.

"We've won primaries in the west, the south, the Midwest, and the northeast," McCain said, trying to put the scope of their victory into perspective. "And although I've never minded the role of the underdog and have relished as much as anyone come from behind wins, tonight, I think we must get used to the idea that we are the Republican Party frontrunner for the nomination for President of the United States."

Frontrunner was the only word that the audience heard, and it was enough to end their silence. A chant broke out as the audience began repeating, "Mac is Back" -- the popular mantra that has come to epitomize McCain's rise from the political ashes.

McCain won in most of the places where he was expected to win, and competed in most of the states where he was expected to be competitive. He eked out a narrow victory in Missouri, a state where all of the GOP candidates competed, and he surprised some people with a sizeable win in Oklahoma.

"I am, as is often reported, a little superstitious, so I don't want to make any exaggerated predictions, and there's still a long road ahead," McCain said of his victories. "However, it's fair to say we might have come a little closer today to the day that mothers in Arizona might be able to tell their children that someday they could grow up to be President of the United States."

McCain was referring to a joke he often makes on the campaign trail about the lack of U.S. presidents from Arizona, a fact he hopes to change if he can outlast Romney and Huckabee in what now promises to be an even longer nomination process. Acknowledging his opposition, McCain offered a "salute" to both of his opponents.

During his ode to Huckabee, there were murmurs in the crowd that the kind words might be indicative of McCain's thoughts on the governor as a VP candidate. Needless to say no such murmurs arose during his notably colder salute to Romney.

"This election, like any election, is a rough and tumble business," McCain said. "We all want to win. We fight as hard as we can to do it. But I have respect for people who are willing to accept the extraordinary demands, all the ups and downs, of such a tough and long contest. And Governor Romney has mine."

McCain heads back to Washington DC tomorrow and has plans to speak at the C-PAC conference at the end of the week. His campaign had been focusing on getting through today, and now that the polls are all closed, there has been no indication of how confident they are with their candidate's new 'frontrunner' status or how it will effect their campaign strategy going forward.

NBC News' updated delegate totals...

GOP TOTALS (As of 12:30PM 02-05)