Looks like the Pennsylvania firewall may be cracking with nearly 3 weeks left before the April 22 primary.

Congressional Quarterly reports :

Cracks May Be Showing in Clinton's Pennsylvania Firewall

By CQ Staff
Wed Apr 2, 2:12 PM ET

As Illinois Sen. Barack Obama makes a big push in Pennsylvania, New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton appears to be losing some of her once-substantial lead, according to the latest polls.

Clinton still leads in three of the four polls released yesterday and today, but in every poll, including the first in which Obama took a lead (although, a statistically insignificant one), she has dropped at least a few points.

MORE after the break including interesting Gallup data.

In addition to her dishonesty and resume-padding, which the media has given Hillary a free ride on, it's also time for them to get off their asses and call Hillary to account for her husband's un-American comments.

Enough is enough.  If Obama is required to answer for his pastor's comments over the past 30 years, then Hillary must answer for her husband's  inappropriate comments and behavior.  The Clintons are damaging the likely nominee of this party.  It's long past time for Hillary to get out of the race now.  Failing that, it's time to publicly shove the Clintons aside if needed, for the good of the party.

In brief remarks at the beginning of an Obama town hall meeting in Medford, Oregon, a little while ago, Gen Tony McPeak in no uncertain terms publicly called out the 42nd president of the US, Bill Clinton, for his remarks yesterday.

'These tactics have no place in American politics.'  It's time once and for all to stand up to the Clinton bullies.  The beginning of the town hall was carried live by Fox News, but not by CNN or MSNBC, although I'm sure they will broadcast the clip later today.

Gen McPeak read from a statement and said he was very disappointed in the former president for what he said.

Let's lay it out on the table.

After the Mississippi primary tonight, here are the numbers:

There have been 45 contests to date.  Michigan and Florida are NOT included in this number as they either have yet to be decided or, as I feel should happen, will be excluded for violating DNC rules agreed to by the candidates.  I count the Texas primary and Texas caucus as separate contests; consider it a charitable move in Hillary's favor.  (Obama won more delegates in Texas.)

So here's what we have in those 45 contests:

Well, the whole photo of Barack Obama being leaked by the Clinton campaign to Drudge business has taken an interesting turn.

The candidate herself was asked by an ABC affiliate about it.

Call it Hillary's 'Hogan's Heroes' moment.

Love seeing this.  Great news from Wisconsin Senator Russ Feingold.

FEINGOLD:  I VOTED FOR OBAMA

The Capital Times
2/22/2008 11:59 am

Sen. Russ Feingold said today that he voted for Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama in this week's Wisconsin primary and indicated that he likely will vote for Obama's nomination as one of the state's "superdelegates" to the Democratic convention this summer.

"I really do think that at the gut level, this is a chance to do something special" for the nation, Feingold said, adding that electing Obama represents "an enormous historical opportunity for America and for our relationship with the world."

This is unbelievable - yet, actually, it is also believable.

$33 million on consultants ?

Nearly $4 million to Mark Penn, apparently just in JANUARY - and $10 million (incl $2 mil so far in Feb) overall to Penn's firm ? !

All that, and the ROI is 26 losses out of 38 contests to date, nearly 1 million behind in the popular vote, and clear edges for Obama in both pledged delegants and the overall delegate count ?

You gotta be kidding me.  Seriously.

MORE AFTER THE JUMP . . .

Update #2 to reflect huge Obama win in Hawaii.
Update #3 to reflect huge Obama win in Democrats Abroad primary

24 contests won in past 2 weeks - look what Obama has done.  

From Feb 5 to Feb 19 - in the last 2 weeks alone - Obama has won 22 states (including DC) and throw in the US Virgin Islands & DemocratsAbroad and that makes 24 contests won in 2 weeks.

UPDATE - Thanks for the Rec'd diary !  Updated numbers in Wisconsin :  In single-digit frigid weather, 1.5 million of my fellow Wisconsinites came out to vote, 1.1 million in the Dem primary and only 400,000 voting on the Republican side.  With 100 % reporting, Obama won 58% to 41%.  This is a seriously huge victory - I'm stunned how close he was to 60 % here.  ( I believe kos' prediction was right on . . . didn't he say a 17-point margin earlier today ? )

CONTINUED BELOW THE JUMP WITH DETAILS & NUMBERS . . .

Here in flyover land, in the Badger state of Wisconsin, we have a long and 'proud' history of being visited by candidates during the primary season.

John F Kennedy's April 1960 campaign here, in which he camped out in the state and went to cities and towns, big and small, is still legendary in these parts.  Kennedy's win in the Wisconsin primary in 1960 was a huge boost to his candidacy, particularly since it came against Hubert Humphrey from neighboring Minnesota.

This state has seen appearances by just about every candidate over the years.  Just a sampling of a few names : John Anderson, Jerry Brown, Jesse Jackson, Michael Dukakis, Walter Mondale, George HW Bush, Al Gore.   Bill Clinton's legendary October 1992 appearance in the state's capital city drew 40,000 . . . only eclipsed in 2004 by John Kerry's amazing rally which drew nearly 100,000 with Bruce Springsteen opening for him.

Continued after the jump . . .

20 states in 1 week - look what Obama has done.  But first . . .

Holy crap!  Just got back from the Kohl Center in Madison, Wisconsin.

The arena seats over 17,000 for basketball.  Every single seat was taken, and there were people in the aisles.  There were at least 2,000 on the floor (including yours truly, who waited in line for HOURS to get close to the stage . . . whew).  The largest crowd in the arena's history - tonight !

There was an overflow area for those who could not get into the arena, that seated up to 2,000.

By my count that is over 21,000.  It was unbelievable.  CNN was on the videoboard and people were cheering Wolf Blitzer announcing that Obama was ahead in the overall delegate count.  People did the wave, the 'fast wave' and the 'slow wave' (it's a Badger thing, I think). It was like a rock concert.

But back to the amazing story.  What a week for Barack Obama.

There she goes again.

Dismisses Obama's wins because caucuses are 'dominated by party activists' and 'they don't represent the electorate' and with a backhand compliment sweeps Louisiana off the map by saying Obama won there because of African-Americans.

Regarding the dismissal of Louisiana because of race - once again, how shameful, utterly shameful, by a desperate campaign.

But that's not the point of this diary.

It's this :  Hillary blows off caucus states as being meaningless because they are composed of 'party activists' - now that is ABSOLUTELY HILARIOUS.

Don't find it funny ? Follow below the jump for the knee-slapping absurdity.

Let's see.  After tonight, 26 states have held Democratic primaries or caucuses (excluding Michigan/Florida which is a whole 'nother ball of wax).

Obama has won in the Midwest, Plains, Mountain West, and part of the Deep South along with a couple Northeast states.  Namely:

Holy crap.  In LA just now (CSPAN) Michelle Obama has introduced MARIA SHRIVER!!!

The place is going bananas.

UPDATED -

Here's The Photo - Michelle Obama, Caroline Kennedy, Maria Shriver, and Oprah Winfrey in LA a little while ago.  No doubt one of many versions of it, coming to the front page of a newspaper near you, tomorrow.

Set aside the obvious impact of the endorsements of Barack Obama by Caroline Kennedy and Sen Ted Kennedy, the daughter and brother of the late President John F Kennedy.  Set aside the Obama endorsement by Ethel Kennedy, the widow of Robert F Kennedy, who in Nov 2005 called Obama 'our next president' and who said 'he feels it like Bobby felt it.'

Set aside the fact that the above endorsements have helped enormously with legitimizing the presidential qualifications of Barack Obama in the minds of many Democrats over 50.  ( We tend to forget that Obama is still being introduced to the nation even now, a matter of 3 days before Super Mega Extreme Tuesday. )

Set aside Sen Ted Kennedy's booming statements on Monday -- 'He is ready to be president on Day One' and 'From the beginning he opposed the War in Iraq, and let no one deny that truth don't let anyone tell you otherwise !'  -- and set aside the fact that those comments were a direct rebuttal of Hillary Clinton's implication that she's the one who'll be ready on Day One, and Bill Clinton's characterization of Obama's position on the Iraq War as a 'fairy tale.'

Keep reading . . .

Wonderful news from Caroline Kennedy, the intentionally low-profile daughter of the late President John F. Kennedy, and the only surviving member of that memorable First Family.

The title of her endorsement is - frankly - beautiful, stunning and extraordinarily moving.  The text of her endorsement is even more so.

A President Like My Father.  

Keep reading. . .

The year?  2008.

Also:  1960.

People may think that political debates were courteous affairs with high-falutin' niceties all around.

I wonder how many are aware of the Democratic nomination process in 1960, which involved a former President, a former First Lady, and a young Senator.

Harry Truman.  Eleanor Roosevelt.  John F. Kennedy.

Truman strongly opposed Kennedy's nomination, as did Ms. Roosevelt, privately in part on the grounds of his Catholic religion; publicly, President Truman came out and gave a televised speech right before the Democratic convention, resigning as a delegate, claiming that Kennedy was 'fixing the convention' and taking direct shots at his preparedness and experience.

Senator Kennedy came right back and firmly rebutted President Truman's criticism, and of course went on to win the nomination.

My point?  (continued  below)

In 2004, after John Kerry's clear wins in the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary, Kerry was the clear favorite to be the Democratic nominee.

Yet on Feb. 3, 2004, John Edwards won the South Carolina primary -- the state of his birth -- 45.1% to 29.8%.

It's really remarkable when you think about it.

Barack Obama's win in tonight's Iowa caucus is remarkable period, but when you consider two aspects of it, it's all the more remarkable.

He beat the 2004 Democratic vice-presidential nominee AND the former first lady.

Beating one of those two would have been accomplishment enough.  But both of them?

(below the jump)

Is Mike Huckabee ready for prime time?  Do we need another Republican president like George W Bush who, even when given time to prepare remarks, comes off like a doofus during an international crisis?

According to CBS News, Huckabee emerged from an airplane at Orlando, Florida ('to the strains of Van Halen's "Right Now"') and made the following comments regarding the Bhutto assassination:

( below the jump )