Barack Obama powered past Hillary Rodham Clinton in the race for Democratic convention delegates Tuesday on a night of triumph sweetened with outsized primary victories in Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia. Obama has won eight straight victories over Clinton, and the former first lady is now struggling in a race she once commanded. The Associated Press count of delegates showed Obama with 1,210. Clinton had 1,188, falling behind for the first time since the campaign began. Neither was close to the 2,025 needed to win the nomination.\nRepublican front-runner John McCain won all three GOP primaries Tuesday, adding to his insurmountable lead in delegates for the Republican nomination. With Tuesday’s results, the AP count showed McCain with 789 delegates. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who dropped out of the race last week, had 288. Huckabee had 241 and Texas Rep. Ron Paul had 14.\nThe leaders of a House panel that oversees military spending said Wednesday they are drafting legislation that would pay for combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan through the rest of the year. Rep. John Murtha of Pennsylvania, the top Democrat on the committee, predicted the proposal would be done by the end of the month. Murtha and his Republican counterpart on the panel, Rep. C.W. Bill Young of Florida, said they hope lawmakers can put aside their differences on the war and focus on taking care of the troops.
East Timor extended by 10 days a state of emergency imposed after assassination attempts on the president and the prime minister. Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao asked parliament for the extension, saying it was “in the interests of the people” so they could “live in peace and normalcy” following Monday’s shootings, which left President Jose Ramos-Horta critically wounded. Lawmakers later agreed, with 30 votes in favor and 14 abstaining. The emergency order bans demonstrations, gives police extended powers and imposes a nighttime curfew.
