Obama rolls on, takes Maryland

The cable television networks are projecting that Barack Obama has easily won the Maryland Democratic primary, even though results have only barely begun to trickle in. Obama's triumph follows his rout of Hillary Clinton in Virginia, and he is also expected to win the District of Columbia tonight, sweeping the Potomac Primary (or Chesapeake Tuesday, as it has also been called).

Obama's victories tonight are vaulting him ahead of Hillary Clinton in the race for delegates for the first time since Iowa. CNN has been keeping track of the numbers and is projecting tonight that Barack Obama has overtaken Hillary Clinton in the total delegate count, which includes superdelegates.

Speaking at a KeyArena-sized rally in Madison, Wisconsin, Obama thanked Democrats in Maryland and Virginia for their support and drew a comparison between himself and the likely Republican nominee, John McCain. "When I am the nominee, I will offer a clear choice," Obama confidently declared.

Wisconsin and Hawaii are the next states to hold nominating events. Obama is favored to win both, and the Clinton campaign is already looking beyond February to primaries on March 4th, hoping it will be able to halt Obama's momentum then.