The sport of politics. The politics of sport.

Last night, Wisconsin became the ninth state in a row to hand Barack Obama a victory over Hillary Clinton in the race to the Democratic presidential nomination. Obama took the Cheese State by storm, surging into what had been considered Clinton-safe blue-collar voting districts. He ended up with a 17-point win, 58 to 41 percent. In Hawaii, where Obama spent a good part of his youth, the numbers mirrored his victory in D.C., 76 to 24 percent. The Aloha State gave Obama his tenth straight primary victory.

During the Virginia primary less than two weeks ago, at least one Obama rallygoer in Alexandria predicted in a video interview with www.redzonepolitics.com that Obama would only pick up steam with a sweep of the so-called Potomac Primary. That prediction seems to be coming to pass. Unless voters in Ohio and Texas decide to give Clinton her best chance at hope, it may be all but impossible to turn back the pro-Obama tide, which has not only captivated legions of registered Democrats but inspired significant numbers of Independents and crossover Republicans to go “blue.”

Red Zone Politics looks back, again, to the brilliant move by the Obama campaign to air an ad during the Super Bowl, just prior to the Potomac Primary. We sensed early on in the race that Obama’s ability to connect with American guys was going to benefit the Democratic Party, thanks in large part to his status as a football fan. In recent years, the Democrats have had a deficit with male voters when it comes to earning presidential votes. We knew they needed a candidate to show America that it was safe to be a guy and support the Democratic Party, which has for too long been viewed as the “Mommy Party.”

If he can pull off the nomination, and then attain the presidency, Team Obama will fulfill the mission many were hoping to see the New England Patriots fulfill: the best team during the regular season going all the way.

Yours Truly, A.F. Cook