Obama, McCain lead MD, VA polls; Edwards prepares to endorse; Huckabee challenges Washington GOP results; and Obama defeats Clinton to win a Grammy

By Michael J.W. Stickings

Several items for your consideration:

1) Polls show Obama and McCain leading in both Maryland and Virginia ahead of Tuesday's primary votes. Note that Obama is leading Clinton by 18 points in the former and by 16 points in the latter. McCain is up by similarly significant margins over Huckabee. (D.C. is also expected to go for Obama.)

2) John Edwards has met with Clinton and will meet with Obama regarding a possible endorsement. "There's a greater than 50% chance he will endorse," an Edwards aide told TPM's Greg Sargent. (Which way will he go? I think it's too close to call. I would think Obama, but Clinton is closer to him on health care. Will it matter? Yes. Edwards had the support of many of us, and I think his endorsement will boost the endorsee's support from progressives.)

3) The Washington GOP caucuses were called for McCain -- by the state GOP -- with just 87 percent of precincts reporting late Saturday night, a "weird" and "bizarre" development. The Huckabee campaign released a statement Sunday evening: "The Huckabee campaign is deeply disturbed by the obvious irregularities in the Washington State Republican precinct caucuses." The campaign "will be exploring all available legal options regarding the dubious final results". The delegate count resumed yesterday, according to The Seattle Times. ("Our cause is just," the statement concludes. "We must reemphasize the sacred American principle that all ballots be counted in a free, fair, and transparent manner." I agree, but does Huck remember Florida 2000?)

4) Obama beats Clinton! Well, a different Clinton -- and in a different contest. Obama beat fellow nominees Bill Clinton, Jimmy Carter, Alan Alda, and Maya Angelou -- quite a group -- to win this year's Grammy for Best Spoken Word Album (for the audio book version of The Audacity Of Hope: Thoughts On Reclaiming The American Dream), awarded last night in L.A.