King of the Hill

May 08, 2008— -- In next-up West Virginia, Hillary Clinton directly responded to the calls for her to drop out of the race and showed no signs of conceding.

"There are some folks who say we need to end this before we got to West Virginia – I said I don't think so. I think we ought to keep this going to the people of West Virginia's voices are heard," Clinton said today, per ABC News' Eloise Harper.

The voices of West Virginians can be loud, as anyone who has ever been to a Big East basketball game can attest to, but there are only 28 pledged delegates at stake there on Tuesday, so don't look for the Mountain State to be any sort of game-changer.

At this point, assuming the remaining six contests play out as the conventional wisdom expects them to, Clinton's best options are:

- Winning over the vast majority of the approximately 260 uncommitted superdelegates

- A resolution in Michigan and Florida that gives her enough delegates to substantially close the margin between her and Obama

At this point in the post-IN/NC race, neither option looks promising, but not for a lack of effort on the part of the Clinton campaign

Yesterday, Clinton spent 90 minutes meeting with seven uncommitted superdelegates. Since then her campaign has not announced any new endorsements.

Contrast that to the pictures from the Capitol this afternoon when Obama popped by the House side of the Capitol to chat up Members, pose for pictures with House pages and greet tourists in the Rotunda and Statuary Hall.

ABC News' Z. Byron Wolf and Jacqueline Klingebiel report that Obama "looked every bit the triumphant Democratic nominee" as he walked with some Members of Congress into the Capitol building.

Obama held court on the House floor and chatted up Democratic Members, who are also superdelegates. The Illinois Democrat said he was just stopping by to say hello.

"I have not been over to the House side," he said. "We've got a lot of supporters who work there. There are still some undecideds. If they have questions for me then I'm certainly happy to respond to them. Obviously they're a little anxious about some of the sense of division in the party and I just wanted to assure them that whatever happens…"

Later in the day, Obama met with uncommitted superdelegates for about two hours and must have said the right thing to Rep. Brad Miller. After meeting with Obama at the DCCC, Miller jumped off the fence and announced he was endorsing Obama, citing his ability to bring about change.

Obama also picked up an endorsement from Rep. Rick Larsen of Washington State. Larsen's mind was made up before meeting with Obama today on Capitol Hill.

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Clinton's Staying Power
When will the race for the Democratic nomination end? LINK

Clinton: West Virginia is a 'Test' for Obama
Clinton: "The delegate math may be complicated but the electoral math is easy." LINK

Roundtable: Teen Edition
Pa. teens discuss the presidential election and the issues they find pressing. LINK

Obama Mobbed During Hill Visit
Obama tells reporters that Clinton has "insurmountable leads" in WV and KY. LINK

Whoopi: Politicians Can't Do 'S---'
"View" chat about politicians turns into a criticism of their ineffectiveness. LINK

Sam Donaldson on Calling the Race
ABC's Sam Donaldson considers the best way to characterize the Dem race. LINK

Gravel to Obama Girl: Leave Him!
Fmr. Sen. Gravel wants Obama Girl's support in Barely Political's latest video. LINK

Clinton's Staying Power
When will the race for the Democratic nomination end? LINK

Sam Donaldson on Calling the Race
ABC's Sam Donaldson considers the best way to characterize the Dem race. LINK

Clinton: West Virginia is a 'Test' for Obama
Clinton: "The delegate math may be complicated but the electoral math is easy." LINK

Obama Mobbed During Hill Visit
Obama tells reporters that Clinton has "insurmountable leads" in WV and KY. LINK

Whoopi: Politicians Can't Do 'S---'
"View" chat about politicians turns into a criticism of their ineffectiveness. LINK

Obama Models for Press Corps
After being egged on by the press, Sen. Obama models his casual jeans look. LINK

Clinton Won't Back Down
In spite of dwindling funds the senator continues on. LINK

Why She's Staying In
Clinton's communications director, Howard Wolfson, breaks things down. LINK

The Bottom Line on Clinton
George Stephanopoulos gives us a reality check on the Democrats. LINK

Waiting for the Political Endgame
Obama's campaign says it "can see the finish line." LINK

Clinton's Campaign Staying In
George Stephanopoulos discusses possible types of exit strategies in the race. LINK

Kimmel: End of the Line for Clinton?
"The Worst Political Team" debates the senator's chances of going all the way. LINK