Ron, you keep saying 'half the country dead set against her' yet she has won, and pretty decisively for the most part, the states with the most voters.

Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems to me more people are voting for Clinton than Obama. You know, when you count the popular vote totals. Add 'em up, and you'll see.

I have never thought Obama would be able to beat McCain. Clinton proved Obama's vulnerability w/the 3 am ad. That was a risky thing to do, because had Obama beat Clinton, she would have handed the McCain camp a well established ad campaign to run against Obama.

At this point, there are two things it will prove nearly impossible for Obama to overcome: he hasn't won any of the big states, and he is already being perceived as weak on defense issues, and sadly, his stand on the war is probably hurting him with some militarist Dems.

Like it or not, the next prez will inherit a war, and be a war time president. Which is why Clinton is most likely to win the nod. She is perceived as the stronger of the two when it comes to the commander in chief thing.

The percentage of Repubs who despise Hilary isn't as large as you make it out to be Ron. There are plenty of moderate Repubs and lots of indies who will vote for her in the fall.

I just don't see McCain winning a soap box derby by then. I really don't. Unless there is another attack on the US before then--that is really the only thing that could put him in the White House. If the war worsens, but no attacks on US soil, there isn't any chance he can beat Clinton. The recession will see to that.