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FROM CNN’s Jack Cafferty:

John Edwards has joined the growing chorus of voices who think the Democratic nomination battle is all over.

In his endorsement of Barack Obama yesterday, Edwards emphasized that it’s time for the party to come together behind Obama. The timing of Edwards’ endorsement was absolutely perfect. At a rally of more than 12,000 cheering Obama supporters, it was a masterstroke that literally wiped Clinton’s big West Virginia headlines out of the news.

And, there’s already some pay-off for Obama. He’s now picked up eight of Edwards’ 19 delegates. This puts him 180 delegates ahead of Clinton and just 127 short of clinching the nomination.

Edwards’ endorsement goes a long way toward quieting the voices that say Obama can’t win working-class, blue-collar voters. This is Edwards’ constituency. Edwards has particular credibility on “issues of poverty and the plight of working people.”

Actually, Obama may not need as much help among these working-class voters as some people think. Today, the United Steelworkers union – all 600,000 of them – endorsed Obama. It’s another big loss for Senator Clinton as she had been aggressively seeking their endorsement.

And finally, Obama picked up three more superdelegates today – two of them influential members of Congress. Henry Waxman heads up the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and Howard Berman, who chairs the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.

Here’s my question to you: How does John Edwards’ endorsement of Barack Obama affect the Democratic primary race?

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FROM CNN’s Jack Cafferty:

Americans are a gloomy bunch these days.

According to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll, 82% of us think this country is headed in the wrong direction. That’s the highest percentage of people who feel that way in more than 15 years.

President Bush’s job approval rating is at another all-time record low. It’s been below 50% for 38 consecutive months – more than 3 years. People overwhelmingly say they trust Democrats over Republicans – 53% to 32% – to do a better job with the many problems facing the U.S.

This is a pretty dire picture for John McCain – a Republican and President Bush’s buddy. But so far, McCain has found a way to escape some of the anger facing his party. In a hypothetical match-up with Barack Obama, McCain remains competitive, trailing him 51% to 44%.

But you can bet Obama and the Democrats will do everything they can to exploit the discontent felt by many Americans. In fact, Obama runs more than 20 points ahead of McCain among those 82% in the poll who think the country is headed in the wrong direction. And about 7 in 10 of those who disapprove of President Bush say whey would back Obama over McCain.

Obama also holds double-digit leads over McCain on issues like health care, gas prices and the economy, while McCain has a 21-point lead on handling terrorism. Surprisingly, the two run almost even on the Iraq war and on immigration.

Here’s my question to you: Considering 82% of Americans think the country is on the wrong track and 66% disapprove of President Bush, what are the chances John McCain wins in November?

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FROM CNN’s Jack Cafferty:

Barack Obama has generated an excitement and hope not seen in American politics in years, perhaps even decades. But behind the scenes, some of his field workers and volunteers are coming face-to-face with something very different: racism.

The Washington Post reports about what it calls “raw racism and hostility that have gone largely unnoticed – and unreported” in this election. Obama volunteers have had doors slammed in their faces, and have been called racially derogatory names. Some Americans apparently can’t deal with the idea that Obama might become our first African-American president.

One volunteer reports being chased by dogs while canvassing in Indiana. Another woman in Pennsylvania gave up on phone-bank duty after one night… because of the negative responses from voters in her county, which is 98% white. Drivers yelled out racial slurs as they passed a group of black high school students holding up Obama signs in Indiana.

The campaign says these are isolated incidents and that most volunteers and staffers have had positive experiences. It says the election has reinforced Obama’s view that “this country is not as divided as our politics.” As for the candidate himself, he doesn’t talk much about race.

He doesn’t have to. Obama has won 30 of the 50 contests so far, including 5 of 12 primaries where blacks made up less than 10% of the voters. He also won in caucus states that are overwhelmingly white – places like Iowa, Idaho and Wyoming.

Here’s my question to you: Now that it looks like it will be Barack Obama against John McCain, how big an issue will race become?

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George W. Bush may do as much damage to John McCain’s chances of being elected as Jeremiah Wright does to Barack Obama’s, according to results of a recent USA Today/Gallup poll. Click the Play Button to see what Jack and our viewers had to say.(PHOTO CREDIT: GETTY IMAGES)

FROM CNN’s Jack Cafferty:

Turns out President Bush might do more damage to John McCain’s campaign than the Reverend Jeremiah Wright does to Barack Obama’s.

A new USA Today/Gallup poll finds 38% of likely voters say McCain’s ties to the president make them less likely to vote for the presumptive nominee in November. 33% says Obama’s relationship with Wright has the same effect.

However, there is more of an upside when it comes to the relationship with President Bush, with 7% of those surveyed saying they’re more likely to vote for McCain because of his association with Mr. Bush. That’s compared to only 1% who say they’re more likely to vote for Obama because of Wright.

The pollsters say it’s also important to look at how these personal associations affect the candidates among their bases. If you do that, it looks like Wright may do more harm to Obama. That’s because 19% of Democrats say they’re less likely to vote for Obama because of his ties to Wright, while just 10% of Republicans say they’re less likely to vote for McCain because of his ties to President Bush.

However, among the general electorate, the two appear to do the same amount of damage. In particular, President Bush may hurt McCain’s ability to attract Democrats and independents.

Here’s my question to you: Which is more damaging to the campaigns: President Bush’s relationship with John McCain or Reverend Wright’s association with Barack Obama?

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FROM CNN’s Jack Cafferty:

For all those like Mitt Romney who said, when talking about Barack Obama, “The presidency of the United States is not an internship,” consider this.

The young guy with not nearly as much political experience is on the verge of toppling one of the most powerful political names of the last 50 years, Hillary Clinton. For all her claims of having more experience, the relative newcomer proved to have a lot more moxie.

She said “experience.” He said “change.” Voters bought change. He planned beyond Super Tuesday and paid attention to the caucuses. She pretty much ignored the caucuses and assumed she would be the nominee the day after Super Tuesday.

When she wasn’t, she was in trouble. Poor planning on the ground and a shortage of money immediately put her at a disadvantage for the rest of the way. She relied on friends and people who were loyal to her. In time, as things began to sour, there was friction and key people left. Her husband hurt her – some say a lot.

As things got worse, she grew more desperate. The kitchen sink strategy appeared. So did demands to count the elections in Michigan and Florida – elections that are invalid. So did false claims about things like her trip to Bosnia.

And all along, she failed to recognize the overriding theme of this election year. The people in this country are sick and tired of their government. They want “change.” How could someone with so much “experience” not see that?

Here’s my question to you: How will history view the race between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton?

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FROM CNN’s Jack Cafferty:

“And the winner is”…. Barack Obama.

At least that’s according to the cover of the latest issue of Time magazine. There seems to be a collective sigh of relief that this race between Obama and Hillary Clinton is all but over. Many believe it’s just a question now of how Hillary Clinton will choose to make her exit. Will it be graceful? Or will it be something else?

This might give us an idea. Beneath the surface there are things lurking that could taint this sense of celebration and unification of the Democratic Party. Not only is Hillary refusing to go quietly, she’s refusing to go at all. And despite her repeated assurances that she will be a team player in the fall, Clinton is still out there making some pretty incendiary remarks about race.

Clinton told USA Today she will be the stronger nominee because she appeals to a wider coalition of voters. She said, “Obama’s support among working, hard-working Americans, white Americans, is weakening again, and whites in both states [meaning Indiana and North Carolina] who had not completed college were supporting me.” Clinton says this shows an emerging pattern… that whites are voting for her. The Obama camp calls these statements untrue and disappointing.

Then there was Clinton supporter Paul Begala right here on CNN Tuesday night. He said that Democrats couldn’t win in November with just, “eggheads and African-Americans.” This all makes it seem like there’s a long way to go before the Democratic Party can make any claims to being united.

Here’s my question to you: Are there wounds in the Democratic Party that just won’t heal?

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FROM CNN’s Jack Cafferty:

Now that Barack Obama appears on the verge of becoming the Democratic nominee, the buzz about a so-called “dream team” is starting up again.

ABC’s George Stephanopoulos says that there are “intermediaries” discussing the possibility of an Obama-Clinton ticket. And he thinks Clinton “would be under some pressure and would like to accept.” Former congressman Harold Ford also says an Obama-Clinton ticket is something the Democratic Party is going to have to seriously consider in the next few weeks.

There’s even a group called “Vote Both” that’s trying to push for such a ticket. It’s seen as a way to unite the party after an often bitter campaign. A recent poll found a majority of both Clinton and Obama supporters like the idea.

But, not so fast. Obama’s campaign says the Illinois senator is still focusing on the upcoming races and undecided superdelegates, that it’s premature to talk about running mates.

The Clinton campaign says it hasn’t had any discussions with the Obama camp about the ticket, and spokesman Howard Wolfson says he hasn’t heard Clinton express any interest in such a ticket.

Some Democrats aren’t so sure it’s a good idea. One strategist who supports Clinton told Reuters if Obama picks her as his number two, it would counter his message of change. The same person said it might not be “all that useful” to Clinton’s political future to be vice president. Instead she could have “an enormous influence” in the Senate over a long period of time.

Here’s my question to you: Should Barack Obama offer Hillary Clinton the number two spot on the ticket as a way of getting her to quit the race now?

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The demand for fuel globally is outpacing the supply, which is one of the reasons oil prices have nearly doubled in just the last year. (PHOTO CREDIT: AP PHOTO)

FROM CNN’s Jack Cafferty:

If the cost of gasoline is hurting Americans now at about $3.61 a gallon, imagine what would happen if it reaches $7 or $8 a gallon in the next couple of years.

While Hillary Clinton and John McCain pander to voters with a proposed gas tax holiday that will never see the light of day, Goldman Sachs is out with a report that oil prices could reach $200 a barrel within two years.

The demand for fuel globally is outpacing the supply, which is one of the reasons oil prices have nearly doubled in just the last year. This prediction from Goldman Sachs, along with a weaker dollar and concerns about declining production, helped push oil to a record of more than $123 a barrel today.

Meanwhile, the Energy Department says strong demand from places like China, India, Russia, Brazil and the Middle East will support high prices and keep global oil demand growing by about 1.2 million barrels a day this year.

The government says it expects gasoline prices to peak at about $3.73 a gallon in June, but some private analysts think gas will go even higher – topping $4 a gallon this summer.

So what’s our next president going to do about all this? Clinton and McCain want to cut 18 cents off the price of a gallon of gas for a period of three months, which would save you a total of between $30 and $70. It’s the same old story from the Washington politicians… slap a bandage on an open wound and hope the public doesn’t notice it’s still bleeding.

Here’s my question to you: Which candidate has a plan for dealing with gas at $7 or $8 a gallon within two years?

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FROM CNN’s Jack Cafferty:

Here’s something that might surprise you: After a 16-month, often bruising fight between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, most Democrats aren’t eager for either candidate to drop out of the race. After all the contests and debates, speeches and TV commercials, fliers and phone calls, the Democrats want the suffering to continue.

A new USA Today-Gallup poll finds 60% of Democrats say Clinton and Obama should keep campaigning. Of those who want a speedier resolution, 23% say Clinton should give it up and only 15% say Obama should drop out.

There had been calls for Clinton to get out of the race a while back, but they’ve quieted down some since her strong performances in Ohio and Pennsylvania. It’s looking increasingly unlikely the party will have a nominee until the uncommitted superdelegates weigh in.

This poll also shows most Democrats think the superdelegates should commit to a candidate by the end of June, which is what the party chairman Howard Dean is calling for. Only about a quarter say the superdelegates should be able to decide at the party’s convention in August.

All this seems to suggest Democrats aren’t too worried about the Clinton-Obama contest tearing the party apart. Instead, there seems to be a willingness to allow the rest of the voters to have their say.

Here’s my question to you: Why can’t the Democrats make up their minds?

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FROM CNN’s Jack Cafferty:

The 16-month fight between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama continues tomorrow in North Carolina and Indiana.

Obama leads Clinton in the polls in North Carolina, while the latest average of polls suggests Clinton is now slightly ahead in Indiana. If Obama can deliver a pair of wins, it would be a huge psychological boost for his campaign and could bring him one step closer to winning the nomination. If Clinton wins both, she’ll still be behind but will think she’s won the nomination.

The fact is that Obama continues to lead Clinton in everything except superdelegates where he has narrowed her lead to just 14. He leads in pledged delegates, popular vote and number of states won.

A new poll out also suggests that Obama has rebounded from some of the damage caused by the Reverend Jeremiah Wright controversy. The New York Times/CBS News poll shows 60% of registered voters approve of how Obama handled the situation, and a majority say the news media spent too much time covering the story. Also, Obama’s lead over Clinton among Democratic primary voters has increased to 12 points, up from 8 points just a few days ago.

However Obama seems to have lost his edge when it comes to the question of electability. In February, 59% said Obama was the stronger candidate, compared with 28% who said Clinton. In this newest survey, the two are essentially tied.

Here’s my question to you: Considering Barack Obama’s lead, how important are Indiana and North Carolina?

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