Something to believe in.

"I wish I was someone else
I'm confused, I'm afraid, I hate the loneliness
And there's nowhere to run to
Nothing makes any sense, but I still try my hardest

Take my hand
Please help me man
'Cause I'm looking for something to believe in
And I don't know where to start
And I don't know where to begin, to begin

If I was stupid or naive
Trying to achieve what they all call contentness
If people weren't such dicks and I never made mistakes
Then I could find forgiveness

Take my hand
Please help me man
'Cause I'm looking for something to believe in
And I don't know where to start
And I don't know where to begin, oh no

I can't be someone else
I don't feel that it's hopeless
I don't feel that I'm useless

I can't throw it all away
I need some courage to find my weakness
And with your love, I know with all my heart I can win

'Cause I'm looking for something to believe in
And I just need something to believe in
I'm looking for something to believe in
And I just need something to believe in."

-The Ramones

Obama, McCain sweep Potomac primaries
By Michael Kranish and Sasha Issenberg, Boston Globe Staff

WASHINGTON -- Senator Barack Obama decisively swept the Democratic presidential primaries today in Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia to seize the momentum over Senator Hillary Clinton, who has lost eight straight primaries and caucuses since Super Tuesday.

But the two still remained relatively close in delegates and both were already looking to upcoming contests, especially in the crucial, delegate-rich states Ohio and Texas next month.

Senator John McCain solidified his front-runner status in the Republican race, winning all three races as well. The result is likely to put added pressure on former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, who has acknowledged he would need a "miracle" to win the nomination, to withdraw from the race.

Even as Obama was sweeping the three "Potomac primary" states, Clinton was touting her own success in what has become a parallel contest in this city on the Potomac River -- the battle for superdelegates. Clinton was leading among the Democratic Party officials, members of Congress, and other elected officials who comprise the 796 superdelegates, who could determine the nomination if the two candidates remain close among delegates selected by voters.

Before last night's contests, Clinton was slightly leading Obama in the overall delegate count, 1,147 to 1,124, with neither close to 2,025 needed for the nomination, according to a tally by the Associated Press. Obama was expected to take the delegate lead after the results were finalized tonight.

Even before the votes were tallied, both Democratic candidates were looking ahead to next week's contests in Hawaii, where Obama once lived and is expected to do well, and Wisconsin, where a new poll yesterday showed Obama with a 50 percent to 39 percent lead. That will be followed by potentially decisive contests on March 4 that include Rhode Island, Vermont, Ohio, and Texas.

"We are going to sweep across Texas in the next three weeks," Clinton told a rally tonight in El Paso, Tex. "I'm tested, I'm ready, let's make it happen!"

The Lone Star state has a 35.7 percent Hispanic population, nearly identical to the 35.9 percent in California, where Clinton won on Super Tuesday by capturing the Hispanic vote by a roughly two-to-one margin.

She also hopes to do well in Ohio, appealing to working-class voters and touting the endorsement that she picked up yesterday from former US Senator John Glenn. A SurveyUSA poll released yesterday showed Clinton with a 56 percent to 39 percent lead in the state, where she and Obama have agreed to debate on Feb. 26.

"Ohio is really going to count in determining who our Democratic nominee is going to be," Clinton told WCPO of Ohio during a round of television interviews today.

Obama, meanwhile, appeared tonight in Madison, Wis., where thousands of college students, who have helped fuel his campaign across the country, greeted him.

"Today, the change we seek swept through Chesapeake and over the Potomac," Obama said. "We won the state of Maryland. We won the Commonwealth of Virginia. And, though we won in Washington D.C.. this movement won't stop until there is change in Washington, D.C. and tonight we are on our way."

"The cynics can no longer say our hope is false," he added.

Obama, like McCain, spent much of his speech talking about issues in the general election to come. Obama called McCain an "American hero" but said his priorities are "bound to the failed policies of the past."

McCain, in remarks prepared for delivery last night to supporters in Virginia, took what might be perceived as a veiled swipe at Obama's message of inspiration and hope, saying, "To encourage a country with only rhetoric rather than sound and proven ideas that trust in the strength and courage of free people is not a promise of hope. It is a platitude."

Exit polls in the closely watched state of Virginia showed that Obama fared strongly among many demographic groups, including ones that had been strengths for Clinton. He won nearly two-to-one among men and won among women by 58 percent to 42 percent. He won by a nine-to-one margin among African-Americans and across all income categories. Clinton narrowly won the white vote by 51 percent to 48 percent.