US rivals fight on after key day

US Republican John McCain moved closer to his party's presidential nomination after Super Tuesday's polls, while the Democratic race stayed finely balanced.

Mr McCain won the big states of California and New York, although Mike Huckabee did better than expected.

For the Democrats, Hillary Clinton won in New York and California, but rival Barack Obama also did well by winning in 13 states.

It was the biggest day in the race to pick candidates in November's election.

But the campaigns are already looking ahead to contests on Saturday in Louisiana, Nebraska and Washington state and 12 February primaries in Maryland, Virginia and Washington DC.

Race not yet run

Mr McCain's gains seriously wounded his main rival, Mitt Romney, the BBC's James Coomerasamy in Washington says.

Mr McCain also won in Illinois, Oklahoma, New Jersey, Missouri, Connecticut, Delaware, and his home state of Arizona.

In many Republican races, the winner takes all the state delegates to the national party convention. New York alone comes with 87 delegates.

The Democratic race was as tight as forecast, although Mrs Clinton secured the two biggest prizes.

In New York, her home state, she captured about 57% of votes to Mr Obama's 40%.

In California, with most precincts counted, Mrs Clinton had won 52% of Democratic votes and Mr Obama about 42%.

Mrs Clinton also took Arizona, Massachusetts and New Jersey, as well as the southern, rural states of Oklahoma, Tennessee and Arkansas.

However Mr Obama won a greater number of states, namely Alabama, Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Utah and his home state of Illinois.

I think we must get used to the idea that we are the Republican Party front-runner John McCain

The Democratic caucuses in New Mexico remained unsettled. Mrs Clinton had a 117-vote lead when the party shut down its counting operation until 1600 GMT on Wednesday.

Before the final results were in, Mr Obama told supporters: "We don't need the final results to know our time has come."

In terms of delegates captured, Mrs Clinton was only marginally ahead - under the Democrats' system of proportional distribution.

Both are still well short of the 2,025 needed to secure the party's nomination.

'All the way'

Overall, voters were choosing 42% of delegates on Super Tuesday.

REPORTS FROM THE CAMPS

In each state's primary or caucus, successful candidates are awarded delegates who formally choose the party's nominee at the national convention in six months' time.

In Arizona, Mr McCain's told supporters: "We must get used to the idea that we are the Republican Party front-runner for the presidency of the United States."

However it was Mr Huckabee who took the first state to announce a result, West Virginia.

WHAT IS SUPER TUESDAY? 24 states holding simultaneous contests to help decide the Democratic and Republican presidential nominations About 40% of each party's delegates - who will choose the candidate - are up for grabs Key states electing large numbers of delegates include California, New York and Illinois

Overall, he went on to confound the polls, which had put him in a distant third, and came not far behind Mr Romney.

He won across the south, in Arkansas, where he used to be governor, as well as Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee.

"We are still on our feet and much to the amazement of many we are getting there folks," he told supporters in Arkansas.

Mr Romney won in Colorado, North Dakota, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, Alaska and Utah.

The former Massachusetts governor said he was not about to drop out of the race and was "going all the way to the White House".

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/americas/7229895.stm

Clinton wins Democratic primary

Democrat Hillary Clinton has won New Hampshire's presidential primary, beating rival candidate Barack Obama into second place.

Earlier, John McCain won the Republican presidential primary with a substantial lead, media projections indicated.

Observers say it seems to have been a record-breaking turnout, with some half a million people having cast ballots.

Candidates are aiming to build momentum before more than 20 states hold polls on 5 February, known as Super Tuesday.

Mrs Clinton told a cheering crowd of supporters that: "I come tonight with a very, very full heart.

Now together let's give America the kind of comeback that New Hampshire has just given me Hillary Clinton

"I want especially to thank New Hampshire. Over the last week I listened to you and in the process I found my own voice. I felt like we all spoke from our hearts and I am so gratified that you responded."

She echoed her husband, former President Bill Clinton, who in New Hampshire's primary in 1992 called himself the "comeback kid".

"Now together let's give America the kind of comeback that New Hampshire has just given me," she said.

Turning point?

In conceding victory Mr Obama said: "I want to congratulate Senator Clinton on a hard fought victory here in New Hampshire. She did an outstanding job, give her a big round of applause."

Mr Obama had gone into the vote with leads of up to 13% in opinion polls following his impressive victory in Thursday's Iowa caucuses.

McCain supporters chanted "Mac is back, Mac is back". McCain victory speech

He achieved a surge in the polls after trailing Mrs Clinton's lead for much of the campaign.

Mrs Clinton having closed that gap may, says the BBC's Kevin Connolly in New Hampshire, be down to an extraordinary moment during her campaigning on Monday when she appeared close to tears as she talked about how much public service meant to her.

John Edwards, who came third in the Democrat contest, reminded supporters in Manchester, New Hampshire, that there were "48 states left to go".

Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney came second in the Republican race with 32% compared to Mr McCain's 37%, according to ABC.

'Fighting on'

Former Arkansas governor and Baptist minister Mike Huckabee and former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani came in with 11% and 9% of the vote for the Republicans, according to ABC projections.

REPUBLICAN RACE John McCain - 37% Mitt Romney - 32% Mike Huckabee - 11% Rudy Giuliani - 9% Source: ABC

Mr Giuliani said he planned to stay in the race and was looking forward to Florida's 29 January primary.

Mr McCain has staged an impressive fight back after seeing his campaign nearly derail several months ago.

At his campaign headquarters, Mr McCain thanked his supporters, saying: "My friends, you know I'm passed the age where I can claim the noun 'kid', no matter what adjective precedes it. But tonight we sure showed 'em what a comeback looks like."

Mr Romney conceded victory and congratulated Mr McCain.

"Well another silver... I'd rather have a gold, but I got another silver.

"But tonight congratulations go to Senator John McCain for running a first class race. Congratulations for the gold senator, great job, let's give him a round of applause."

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/americas/7178168.stm

About Iowa...

Bits and pieces taken from the Politico.com forum

With 100 percent of precincts reporting, Obama had 38 percent, while John Edwards narrowly defeated Clinton in the race for second, 30 percent to 29 percent...

The Iowa results also began winnowing the Democratic field. Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd, who moved his family to Iowa in an effort to make a strong showing, ended his campaign after a dismal finish. Dodd was tied for sixth place with 0 percent. Delaware Sen. Joe Biden also quit the race after finishing in fifth place with 1 percent.

Huckabee was declared the winner at 9 p.m. Eastern time, easily besting Mitt Romney — a storyline that was unthinkable just weeks ago. With 93 percent of precincts reporting, Huckabee led Romney 34 percent to 25 percent...

Roughly 60 percent of Republican caucus-goers were evangelicals, according to entrance surveys — approximately double the evangelical turnout in the 2004 general election...

So, how do you feel about the results here? I am somewhat surprised. Surprised both in a fairly pleasant way and a frightened way. First the Republicans: I do not like basically any of Mike Huckabee's stances on the issues, of course I feel that way about all the Republican candidates, except Ron Paul. Huckabee is everything I do not want in a president, except he is a decent speaker. A win for Ron Paul on the Republican side would have been nice (pipe dreams I know) but even Guiliani or McCain would have been less scary. Now the Dems: Obama beat Clinton... well good. I like him a whole lot more than her, though he is no Kucinich. I am glad to see Edwards edging her out too. Perhaps an Obama-Edwards ticket would work well for the dems? Or Edwards-Obama depending on how the next few states go. Anyway, in summation: Rep results = frightening, Dems results = nominally good.

Romney tells U.N. to Reject Ahmadinejad

Romney tells U.N. to Reject Ahmadinejad

By GLEN JOHNSON
Associated Press Writer

BOSTON (AP) -- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad should not be allowed to address the U.N. General Assembly next week, but instead should be greeted "with an indictment under the Genocide Convention," Republican presidential contender Mitt Romney said Monday.

"The Iranian regime under President Ahmadinejad has spoken openly about wiping Israel off the map, has fueled Hezbollah's terror campaign in the region and around the world and defied the world community in its pursuit of nuclear weapons - capabilities that make these threats even more ominous," Romney said in a letter to U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon posted on his campaign Web site, http://www.mittromney.com .

In New York, Romney told reporters: "I think the invitatiom should be withdrawn. I think instead, Ahmadinejad should be indicted under the Genocide Convention."

Romney routinely talks about the threat the United States faced from "radical jihadists," and he has staked out a hard-line position against Iran in particular.

In January, he called for economic sanctions against the Central Asian nation "at least as severe" as those imposed on South Africa during its apartheid era, aiming to isolate the country and convince it to give up its pursuit of a nuclear weapon.

Last September, while still serving as governor of Massachusetts, Romney ordered all state agencies to refuse any assistance if requested when the former president of Iran visited Massachusetts. Romney said Mohammed Khatami oversaw torture and the murder of dissidents, as well as Iran's secret nuclear program, while in office from 1997 to 2005.

"State taxpayers should not be providing special treatment to an individual who supports violent jihad and the destruction of Israel," Romney said at the time.

Opponents of the current Iranian regime including Nobel Prize Winner Elie Wiesel and Harvard Law professor Alan Dershowitz have previously called for Iran's explusion from the United Nations.

(Original AP story click here)

Mitt Ronmey's Favorite Novel

Mitt Ronmey's favorite novel is Battlefield Earth? I mean, come on! There's tons of American Literature that far surpasses this crap! Hell, there's a thousand sci-fi novels that are better than this scientologist swill!