Watch those guys that were behind Obama.
(CNN) - The Internet has been abuzz since Sen. Barack Obama gave his concession speech Tuesday after losing the Pennsylvania Democratic primary to rival Sen. Hillary Clinton. But, all the talk hasn't been about anything said by Obama. Instead, the attention has been focused on the three young men who were behind Obama wearing Abercrombie and Fitch t-shirts.
Watch John Roberts and Kyra Phillips interview "the Abercrombie guys" in this clip from American Morning.
Related video: Watch Jeanne Moos's Aber-Obama and Fitch
(CNN) – In Jeremiah Wright's first television interview since clips of his controversial sermons circulated the Internet, Barack Obama's former pastor says his words were unfairly taken out of context for 'devious' reasons.'
In an interview on PBS set to air Friday, Wright expressed frustration with how his sermons had been portrayed by the news media and critics of Obama's White House bid.
“I felt it was unfair,” he told PBS' Bill Moyers according to released excerpts. “I felt it was unjust. I felt it was untrue. I felt that those who were doing that, were doing it for some very devious reasons.”
Some of Wright's past sermons came under fire after a news report turned some of his most contentious comments into a YouTube phenomenon last month. In one, the minister said America had brought the September 11 attacks upon itself. In another, he said Clinton had an advantage over Obama because she is white. He also accused the U.S. government of adopting policies to systematically oppress African-Americans. (Listen to some of Wright's sermons via Roland Matin's blog)
Obama immediately rejected the comments, though critics charged the Illinois senator should have denounced the minister long ago. In a widely-praised speech on race relations, Obama said he could no more disown Wright than "I can disown the black community."
Speaking to PBS, Wright did not recant his past sermons. "The persons who have heard the entire sermon understand the communication perfectly," he said.
(CNN) - The friction over fractions continued Friday, as staffers for Hillary Clinton and Barack grappled with the solution to some high-stakes campaign math: was her victory in Pennsylvania a double-digit win, or wasn't it?
This time, at least, it turns out: both. According to the final tally provided by the Associated Press, which gathers precise counts for the networks and other major news organizations, Hillary Clinton won 1,260,444 votes to Barack Obama’s 1,046,220, for a difference of 214,224 votes, or 9.2871 percent - which rounds down to 9. But calculated another, more traditional way: she captured 54.6435 percent of the vote - which rounds up to 55 - to his 45.3564, which rounds down to 45, for a difference of 10 points.
Why the demand for extra decimal places? Because every win is important, but some are more important than others. It had been widely predicted that a double-digit victory would give Clinton a key psychological edge heading into upcoming contests. Due to the vagaries of rounding, early coverage was split on whether she’d passed that bar.
Obama supporters protested, pointing out that the winning margin was below 9.5 percent – which, as any fifth-grader will tell you, rounds down to 9, not up to 10. Clinton supporters pointed out that if you rounded each candidate's total votes - not the margin of victory itself - those whole numbers gave you the critical extra digit.
Unfortunately: every vote counts, but some are counted more quickly than others. Some returns typically trickle in for days after the winner is known in virtually every election – usually under much less scrutiny. As the days passed and the difference in the tally hovered near the critical 9.5 percent mark, backers of both candidates kept their gaze fixed on the numbers.
They can put their calculators away for now. The final votes to come in were from the city of Philadelphia, which went for Obama, and the results will forever be safely rounded – if you dare – down to 9 percent, or up to 10. The winning margin, it seems, will remain in the eye of the beholder.
As for the only numbers that really count: it appears that Clinton will walk away from the state with a double-digit edge in pledged delegates - 83, to 73 for Obama.
Compiled by Jonathan Helman
CNN Washington Bureau
Charlotte Observer: Obama Outraises Clinton 3 To 1 In N.C.
Heavy support from the Triangle - and from supporters of John Edwards - helped Democrat Barack Obama outraise Hillary Clinton nearly 3 to 1 among N.C. donors last month, reflecting his huge cash advantage heading into the state's May 6 primary.
Washington Post: McCain Offers Tax Policies He Once Opposed
Now that Sen. John McCain is the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, however, McCain is marching straight down the party line. The economic package he has laid out embraces many of the tax policies he once decried: extending Bush's tax cuts he voted against, offering investment tax breaks he once believed would have little economic benefit and granting the long-held wishes of tax lobbyists he has often mocked.
NY Times: Using New Math, Clinton Contends She’s Ahead
Seizing on her Pennsylvania primary victory, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton and her surrogates are renewing their efforts to have the disputed Michigan and Florida convention delegates seated and pushing the argument that she now leads in the total number of votes cast when the tallies in those two states are included.
Washington Post: Clinton's Hopes May Lie With N.C.
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton on Thursday emphasized her plans to remove combat troops from Iraq and challenged Sen. Barack Obama to a debate in North Carolina, as she turned her attention to a state that could upend her hopes of a comeback.
Compiled by Jonathan Helman, CNN Washington Bureau
*Hillary Clinton attends an event in Jacksonville, North Carolina before heading to Indiana where she attends events in Bloomington, Gary, and East Chicago.
*John McCain addresses a college class at Arkansas Baptists College and holds a media availability in Little Rock, Arkansas.
*Barack Obama attends a rally in Bloomington, Indiana and a town hall meeting in Kokomo, Indiana.
From CNN Politics
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