Obama to clinch Democratic nomination

WASHINGTON -- It's official: President Barack Obama will clinch the Democratic nomination for president Tuesday, ending a low-key primary race that many Americans probably didn't realize was happening.

Obama is certain to reach the 2,778 delegates he needs to secure his party nod for a second time when five states vote Tuesday. He has won almost every delegate so far, with a few exceptions in some Southern states that won't vote Democratic in the fall anyway.

But don't expect a big party -- or any party. Campaign officials say they are focused on the general election, as they have been for months, and the all-but-certain Republican nominee, Mitt Romney.

All this is a stark difference from four years ago.

At this time in 2008, Obama was still in an epic primary battle against Hillary Rodham Clinton. The fight for the nomination didn't end until June, on the last day of the primary calendar, when Obama inched across the finish line on his way to the general election and eventually the White House.

There was a party that night, and why not? Obama was a big underdog heading into the 2008 primaries. Facing the well-financed former first lady, he was the junior senator from Illinois, a black man with an unusual-sounding name. No foreign policy experience. No military experience.

Obama's resume may have been a bit thin, but he parlayed his compelling life story and an inspiring message of hope and change into an unlikely run for the Democratic nomination and victory over Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.).

The partying was intense that night in 2008 when Obama became the first black candidate to win a major party nomination to run for president. Obama's top campaign aides were in a Chicago bar near campaign headquarters. The candidate wasn't there, but the bar tab was open.