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 South Dakota newspaper endorses Clinton
WASHINGTON (AP) -- South Dakota's largest newspaper endorsed Hillary Rodham Clinton for the Democratic presidential nomination while acknowledging that rival Barack Obama may be unbeatable.
The Argus Leader in Sioux Falls said in an editorial Friday that Clinton "is the strongest Democratic candidate for South Dakota."
"Her mastery of complex policy detail is broad and deep, and her experience as a senator and former first lady matches that," the editorial said. "Measured against her opponent, Clinton is philosophically more moderate. That is likely a good thing for South Dakota."
South Dakota and Montana hold the last primaries in the marathon Democratic nomination race on Tuesday. South Dakota has 15 delegates at stake, Montana 16.
Obama leads Clinton by about 200 delegates, according to a tally by The Associated Press.
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Obama used party rules to foil Clinton
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Unlike Hillary Rodham Clinton, rival Barack Obama planned for the long haul.
Clinton hinged her whole campaign on an early knockout blow on Super Tuesday, while Obama's staff researched congressional districts in states with primaries that were months away. What they found were opportunities to win delegates, even in states they would eventually lose.
Obama's campaign mastered some of the most arcane rules in politics, and then used them to foil a front-runner who seemed to have every advantage
-- money, fame and a husband who had essentially run the Democratic Party for eight years as president.
"Without a doubt, their understanding of the nominating process was one of the keys to their success," said Tad Devine, a Democratic strategist not aligned with either candidate. "They understood the nuances of it and approached it at a strategic level that the Clinton campaign did not."
Careful planning is one reason why Obama is emerging as the nominee as the Democratic Party prepares for its final three primaries, Puerto Rico on Sunday and Montana and South Dakota on Tuesday. Attributing his success only to soaring speeches and prodigious fundraising ignores a critical part of contest.
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League of Democracies gains ground in prez race
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Gaining ground this political season is a proposed League of Democracies designed to strengthen support for the next president's overseas agenda and ensure a global leadership role for the United States.
John McCain, the virtually certain Republican presidential nominee, has endorsed the concept of a new global compact of more than 100 democratic countries to advance shared views and has discussed the idea with French and British leaders.
"It could act where the U.N. fails to act," he said last month, and pressure tyrants "with or without Moscow's and Beijing's approval."
McCain said the League might impose sanctions on Iran, relieve suffering in the Darfur region of Sudan and deal with environmental problems.
Barack Obama, who has a lead in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination, has not taken a stand. But Anthony Lake, one of Obama's policy advisers, has spoken in favor of the idea.
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 Analysts at think tanks in Washington and elsewhere envision a league focused on maintaining peace and limiting U.S. military intervention, such as the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.
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Texas Democratic chairman, wife endorse Obama
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- Barack Obama picked up two Texas superdelegates, bringing him closer to locking up the Democratic presidential nomination.
Texas Democratic Party chairman Boyd Richie and his wife, Democratic National Committee member Betty Richie, endorsed Barack Obama for president late Thursday.
Texas has 32 superdelegates and the Richies were among a handful of those remaining who had not committed to either Obama or rival Hillary Rodham Clinton.
"I believe Senator Obama is the candidate who can best provide the leadership and change Texans desire," Richie said in a statement issued by the party. "Senator Obama has the skill and ability to unite Americans from all walks of life and put our country back on the right track."
Clinton narrowly won the state's primary March 4, but Obama has prevailed in two rounds of caucuses that also determine pledged delegates from Texas. The final division of those caucus delegates comes next week at the state convention in Austin.
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THE DEMOCRATS
Hillary Rodham Clinton meets with voters in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico. Barack Obama holds a rally in Great Falls, Mont.
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THE REPUBLICANS
John McCain holds an informal news conference in Milwaukee.
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QUOTE OF THE DAY:
"Listen and learn. Listen and learn. That's what great commanders do. That's what great leaders do. You listen and you learn."
-- John McCain.
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STAT OF THE DAY:
Of South Dakota's 508,240 registered voters -- 235,388 are Republicans, 195,063 are Democrats and 75,894 are independents, according to the South Dakota Secretary of State's Office.
[Associated
Press]
Compiled by Ann Sanner and Ronald Powers.
Copyright 2008 The Associated
Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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