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.

"Rep. Larsen had already decided to endorse Sen. Obama, but he did want to take the opportunity to talk with him about the race and a few issues important to Washington State and his district, including the Air Force tanker deal," said Amanda Mahnke, spokesman for the congressman.

The long slog to figuring out a solution to seat the delegates from Michigan and Florida continues. The Michigan Democratic Party put forth a proposal that would split the state's 128 pledged delegates between Clinton (69) and Obama (59). This delegate allocation splits the difference between the results of the January 15 primary, won by Clinton, (and a 73-55 allocation) and the 50-50 split (64-64) the Obama campaign was looking for.

ABC News' Teddy Davis reports that the DNC's Rules and Bylaws Committee will consider this plan when it meets on Saturday, May 31.

If this proposal is eventually adopted, and if the delegates from Florida are seated but only as half-delegates, Clinton still does not significantly narrow the margin in pledged delegates. That makes those 260 uncommitted superdelegates and their endorsements so critical.

He's not a superdelegate but John Edwards is likely to weigh in on the current state of affairs in the race for the Democratic nomination when he appears on The Today Show Friday morning.

On the campaign front. . .

BARACK OBAMA

-- 12:45 pm ET: Attends economic discussion with voters, Portland, OR

-- 6:30 pm ET: Attends town hall meeting with voters, Albany, OR

-- 10:45 pm ET: Attends rally with voters, Eugene, OR

MICHELLE OBAMA

-- 1:00 pm ET: Attends event with Rep. Jan Schakowsky, Chicago, IL

HILLARY CLINTON

-- 12:30 pm ET: Attends roundtable discussion on health care, Portland, OR

-- 8:00 pm ET: Delivers remarks to Kentucky Democratic Party Dinner, Louisville, KY

As for the Republicans. . .

JOHN MCCAIN

-- 5:00 pm ET: Attends fundraiser with supporters, Columbia, SC

At the White House and Beyond. . .

PRESIDENT BUSH

­-- Crawford, TX

COMMERCE DEPARTMENT

-- 8:30 am ET: Releases the March report on trade balance, Washington, DC

POLITICAL NEWS STORIES ON ABCNEWS.COM

ABC News' Z.Byron Wolf and Jacqueline Klingebiel: Obama: Clinton Lead in WV, KY 'Insurmountable' LINK

ABC News' Jonann Brady: Democratic Dream Team in the Works? LINK

ABC News' Sunlen Miller: Fmr. Edwards Campaign Manager Endorses Obama LINK

ABC News' Jake Tapper: Edwards' Campaign Manager to Endorse Obama LINK

ABC News' Sarah Amos: Bill Clinton: Hillary Can Still Win LINK

ABC News' Jake Tapper: Huckabee on Hillary: "I Feel Her Pain!" LINK

ABC News' Eloise Harper: Clinton: West Virginia 'A Test for Obama' LINK

ABC News' Jake Tapper: The June Myth LINK

ABC News' Jennifer Duck: Texas Prepares for Jenna Bush Wedding LINK

ABC News' Jake Tapper: The Ellsworth Endorsement LINK

POLITICAL VIDEO ON ABCNEWS.COM

Edwards Fights Cancer in Congress

Elizabeth Edwards and Lance Armstrong make the case for cancer legislation. LINK

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