....and North Carolina goes to (the envelope please)...

Barack Obama wins North Carolina and nets about 8 delegates.

He's baaack! After a much maligned few weeks, filled with questions regarding flag pins, pastors, and gas tax - Barack Obama is once again walking tall and carrying a big stick. At a time where polls suggested that he was losing support and popularity among voters due to the media's weapons of mass distraction, the supporters of the Obama campaign have shown up en masse to prove that they are interested in issues, not all that other foolishness.

Obama has claimed a huge victory in North Carolina. It was the last big state left with 115 delegates up for grabs. Of course the naysayers would love to make the point that he only won North Carolina because of the black vote (as if the black vote is somehow insignificant and blacks are not capable of making rational, well-thought out decisions. Did anyone question the judgement of black voters when the candidate was Bill Clinton?) ...but, i digress.

Turnout in the North Carolina Democratic primary was expected to reach 50 percent, according to Gary Bartlett, executive director for the North Carolina Board of Elections. That figure would far exceed the 15 percent to 30 percent that usually turn out for a primary, he said.

Now, here's the problem (see CNN.com for in depth coverage):

According to early exit polls, half of Clinton's supporters in Indiana would not vote for Obama in a general election match up with Sen. John McCain, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee.

A third of Clinton voters said they would pick McCain over Obama, while 17 percent said they would not vote at all. Forty-eight percent of Clinton supporters said they would back Obama in November.

Obama got even less support from Clinton backers in North Carolina where 45
percent of Clinton supporters said they would vote for him over McCain. Thirty-eight percent of Clinton supporters said they would vote for McCain while 12 percent said they would not vote. Obama voters appear to be more willing to support Clinton in November. In Indiana, 59 percent of Obama backers said they'd vote for Clinton, and 70 percent of Obama backers in North Carolina said vote for her against McCain.

Okay, I've been hanging around for the past hour and a half waiting for them to call Indiana. This is better than watching game 7 of the playoffs. I'll get back to you when the updates are in.