CNN is now calling Arizona for Kerry as well. Meanwhile, in Oklahoma, Edwards trails Clark Clark by under 500 votes, with 34% reporting. Kerry’s followed at 51% in Missouri by Edwards at 22% and Dean at 9%. Lieberman, Edwards, and Dean are nearly tied for second behind Kerry in Delaware, with Clark only a couple hundred votes behind for 5th place.

Apparently, in South Carolina, it’s “cool to be a Democrat again.”

Looking more likely we’ll see a Joe-cession speech tonight.

With 12% reporting in Oklahoma, Clark is ahead of Edwards by 400 votes, 31 to 29%, with Kerry in third at 24%.

The Associated Press looks to the polls to explain Edwards’ victory in South Carolina.

CNN is calling Missouri and Delaware for Kerry, leaving Lieberman a Joe-loser.

With a 46% to 29% lead over Kerry, CNN is calling the South Carolina Primary for John Edwards with 18% of precincts reporting. Looks like none of the other five candidates are likely to pass the 15% requirement to get delegates there, although Sharpton’s closest with 9%.

Polls are looking, apparently, like Edwards has a very good shot at having met the bar he and pundits set for him: taking South Carolina.

The Times on exit polls in today’s primaries and caucuses:

Electability remains a top priority for many voters, according to early results of exit polls conducted in Arizona, Missouri, Oklahoma and South Carolina by Edison Media Research and Mitofsky International for the major television networks and The Associated Press. About 2 in 10 of the voters in South Carolina, Oklahoma, Arizona and Missouri said a candidate’s ability to defeat President Bush mattered most in their primary vote decision.

Both the economy and health care were the main concerns among voters in Missouri and Oklahoma…While the economy was the top concern of about 1 in 3 voters in Arizona, the war shared second place with health care.

There was a question about Kerry on there too, but it wasn’t whether he “lacked the temperment to be President”:

Among those who did not vote for John Kerry today, most said they would be satisfied if he became the eventual nominee.

Interesting:

Mr. Edwards, of North Carolina, has said he needs to win South Carolina to keep his candidacy alive…

The Associated Press, citing people close to Mr. Lieberman’s campaign, was reporting late this afternoon that the Senator was making contingency plans to withdraw from the race as early as tonight if he did not win at least one state, presumably Delaware.”

The Center for American Progress slams the new Bush budget disclosures.

The Boston Herald offers another perspective on Skull and Bones, the Yale uber – Secret Society to which both Bush and Kerry share allegiance:

In 1986, Kerry allegedly tried to recruit Jacob Weisberg, then a college-age intern at ‘The New Republic’ magazine. Weisberg, now Slate magazine editor, said Kerry made his pitch during a private meeting in his Senate office. Weisberg declined, pointedly asking Kerry how he squared his liberalism with membership in such an elitist club that refused to admit women. ‘Kerry got sort of flustered and said, `I’ve marched with battered women,’ ‘ Weisberg told the Herald. Five years later, Kerry was among those voting to force the club to admit women after a bitter court fight.