HE DID IT AGAIN

In spite of the flack he's getting from critics about plagiarizing his "Words" speech from his friend and Massachusetts Governor, Deval Patrick, Barack Obama was won yet again in Wisconsin and Hawaii.

Obama's broad-based victory in Wisconsin's Democratic presidential primary Tuesday shows he's attracting a widening coalition to his candidacy.

Of course his support base of the well-educated, the young and African-Americans were there for him, but he also showed he can appeal to white blue-collar workers.

The Illinois senator's extremely strong showing in Wisconsin is also important because it shows strength in a Midwestern state similar to Ohio, where along with Texas, his opponent, New York Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, is concentrating her resources for an all-out effort to stop Obama's momentum in the next series of primaries on March 4.

Meanwhile, in Hawaii's Democratic caucuses, with about half of the vote counted at EUR's press time, Hawaii born Obama led Clinton by more than a 3-1 margin.

On the Republican side - like Obama in Hawaii and in Wisconsin - Sen. John McCain also cruised to another win. And in his victory speech, it was obvious that he believes Obama will probably be his opponent in the big showdown.

"I will work hard to make sure Americans aren't deceived by an eloquent but empty call for change," said McCain.

But his dig at Obama didn't stop there. McCain also knocked his likely Democratic opponent by taking a shot at the "confused leadership of an inexperienced candidate." Of course the Obama camp quickly responded.

"John McCain's remarks tonight shows why he's offering nothing more than a third term of George Bush's policies -- more fear-mongering, more than a century of war in Iraq, and more budget-busting tax cuts for the wealthiest few at the expense of hardworking Americans," said Obama campaign spokesperson Bill Burton.

It's worth noting that Obama's strong showing in Wisconsin demonstrated to those who hold the balance of power as superdelegates to the Democratic convention that he can do well in a battleground state that Democrats must win to capture the White House. Keep in mind that in the last two presidential elections, Al Gore and John Kerry only won Wisconsin narrowly.

Here's a breakdown of how Obama did with voters in Wisconsin:

Women (51-49)
All age groups under 65
All education levels
All regions of the state -- urban, suburban and rural
Voters without college degrees (50-48)
Democrats (50-49)
Whites (53-46)
White men (59-38)
Voters who decided in the last week (58-42)

Won or tied voters of all income levels
Tied among white women
Tied among union members
Tied among union households

Obama shared news of his victory with an enthusiastic crowd of 18,000 at a rally in Houston.

"I am grateful to the people of Wisconsin for their friendship and their support and their extraordinary civic pride," Obama said. "The change we seek is still months and miles away and we need the good people of Texas to help us get there."