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Obama sets sights on McCain

U.S. Senator Barack Obama, setting his sights well beyond Tuesday’s primary against Senator Hillary Clinton, on Sunday began preparations for a summer series of debates against Republican John McCain.

While Ms. Clinton campaigned doggedly in West Virginia, which holds its primary on Tuesday, the Obama camp consolidated its claim on the Democratic nomination and began revealing its strategy for the coming presidential elections.

“We are coming to the end of the process,” Mr. Obama’s strategist David Axelrod said on Sunday. “I think there is an eagerness on the part of the party to get on with the general election campaign,” he added.

On Saturday, Mr. Obama reached an important milestone when he surpassed Ms. Clinton’s once formidable advantage among super-delegates, the elected and senior Democratic officials who are free to support the candidate of their choosing. The steady stream of super-delegates declaring their support for Mr. Obama since last Tuesday now gives him 276, against 274 for Ms. Clinton. He now leads Ms. Clinton on every metric of the race: pledged delegates, super-delegates, popular vote and states won. He is only 161 delegates short of reaching the 2,025 needed for the nomination.

With the nomination nearly wrapped up, Mr. Axelrod said his camp was in discussions with Mr. McCain on the Republican’s proposal for a series of debates. It would also maintain the momentum of an election season which began far earlier than in any other year. The unmoderated debates under discussion would start even before Mr. Obama is formally named the Democratic nominee at the party’s convention in late August. The Republicans hold their nomination convention in early September. In addition to working out a debate schedule with Mr. McCain, the Obama camp launched a drive to register new voters — and potentially drive up Democratic turnout during the presidential elections. With Ms. Clinton hunkered down in the states still to hold their primary contests, Mr. Obama broadened his travel itinerary to states that will be pivotal in the elections. He announced plans to campaign in the swing state of Missouri, where he hopes to build up his strength among the white working class. Mr. Obama will visit Missouri on Tuesday for an economic forum. The tour schedule, while trying to build up Mr. Obama’s support ahead of the November showdown, is also meant to distract from Ms. Clinton’s advantage in West Virginia, where polls show her as much as 40 points ahead.— © Guardian Newspapers Limited, 2008

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