Washington state ends up a clear victory for McCain.

Newsweek has a lengthy article on how important Texas is to Senator Clinton, with some coverage of her recent appearances in the Valley.

SurveyUSA has some new Texas numbers, and they match up with CNN's poll from yesterday pretty well: Clinton 50%, Obama 45%. The notes have some interesting things to say about the demographics of our state, namely that turnout among Hispanic voters could be a decisive factor in the final tally.

Today's big international news draws responses and opinions from the remaining candidates on Castro and what's next for Cuba.

As I'm sure you've heard by now, Fidel Castro has resigned as president of Cuba, saying he would not seek or accept another term.

If you want to learn a little more about what happened in yesterday's Pakistani elections, the BBC has a breakdown of the results, and the UK's Times has an examination of the implications of these results and what is next for Pakistan. The Bush administration specifically and the US in general have committed plenty of resources to Pakistan, so what happens in the coming weeks and months is of interest.

CNN has a new poll showing a statistical dead heat between Senators Obama and Clinton — Clinton at 50 and Obama at 48 with a margin of error at 4.5 percent. McCain is way out front on the GOP side, with 55 percent.

John McCain has a plan that involves him in the larger political environment than the one in which he might otherwise be relegated. Rather than solely worrying about the Republican nomination, McCain is now actively trying to influence the Democratic nomination. The Huffington Post's Nathaniel Bach examines what McCain is — and might be — up to.

Who is Tim Pawlenty, and why should you be interested in the governor of Minnesota? Because he might be McCain's running mate. Politico's Jonathan Martin has the details.

The focus is heavy on Texas and Ohio these days, but let's not forget that there are three Democratic primary contests tomorrow: one in Washington state, one in Wisconsin, and one in Hawaii. Wisconsin looks to be the battleground while candidate relatives are stumping in Hawaii, which must be a great (albeit unexpected) gig to have in February.