David Neiwert

I know, I know. Hillary's victory speech in Indiana tonight was not a concession speech. She vowed to keep fighting on. Florida and Michigan and all that. But it sure sounded, and looked, and felt like a concession speech. The thank-yous. Bill crying. The resigned tone. She certainly didn't sound like someone who was fighting any longer.

It's looking like Gary, Indiana, could play a significant role in the campaign, because the results coming in from that corner of the state will determine the final margin of Hillary Clinton's CBS-declared victory there. And county officials say that results there won't be available until midnight CDT at the earliest.

Shortly after CBS News projected Clinton the winner in Indiana, Obama essentially conceded the state in his speech to his supporters in North Carolina. But he also jabbed Clinton for declaring last week that North Carolina would be a "game changer" in the race.

.... Just watched Chief Village Idiot Tim Russert give the horserace rundown of the campaign by informing us that "they are both different candidates than they used to be." Gee, I wonder if that's going to be part of the "Straight Talk Express" talking points from here on out? It's already on the tips of the Village tongues ... The consensus at MSNBC is that "this is a big night for Obama" ...

Well, I've been watching the toobz all day and it's clear the consensus storyline for tonight is this: Clinton wins Indiana, Obama wins North Carolina. If either pulls off an upset, it spells trouble if not potential doom for the loser. Meanwhile, CNN has been running disturbing poll numbers indicating that many of the current crop of Hillary Clinton voters are saying they won't vote for Obama in the fall.

Remember those swarthy, olive-skinned fellows seen taking pictures aboard a Seattle ferry who set the wingnutosphere a-flapping last year? Well, as most of us suspected all along, it turns out they were just swarthy, olive-skinned tourists.

Firedoglake is honored to welcome Frank Sharry to our threads today. Sharry, one of the leading progressive voices on immigration, is here to talk about his plan for making comprehensive immigration reform a reality -- beginning with his new organization, America's Voice.

Surprise, surprise. Yet another Minuteman spinoff group has been linking up with local neo-Nazis, this time in Arizona.

In his new ad touting his health-care plan, John McCain dubs himself "President McCain" at the ad's outset. In big block letters. I guess the formality of that quaint anachronism we used to call an election isn't really much to worry about for Republicans anymore. After all, there's now the Roberts Court waiting in the wings to take care of it for them if the voters refuse to play along.

I have to admit that I'm officially baffled by why whatever it is Jeremiah Wright thinks -- and not what John Hagee thinks -- is a big stinking deal. Because my churchgoing experience -- and one I think I share with most other churchgoers -- is that the church community was always more important than the pastor, and was the reason we chose to attend that church. The pastors did their thing, and we usually agreed, but sometimes disagreed. But we attended because of the church, not the pastor.