The general election begins

Based on the banked superdelegates and the fact that he only needs 30% of the vote to make it happen, AP has called the nomination for Obama.

Obama arranged a victory celebration in St. Paul, Minn., at the site of this summer's Republican National Convention — an in-your-face gesture to Sen. John McCain, who will be his opponent in the race to become the nation's 44th president.

Obama pulls ahead of McCain in the latest Gallup poll.

Obama would beat McCain 47 to 44 percent in the November election, in a reversal from Gallup's findings a month ago, which saw McCain ahead of Obama 47 to 45 percent.

Former president and current superdelegate Jimmy Carter is endorsing Obama tonight.

Carter told The Associated Press on Tuesday: "The fact is the Obama people already know they have my vote when the polls close tonight." Carter spoke to the AP after addressing the Georgia World Congress Center.

Clinton says she's open to the V-P slot, but has yet to concede the top spot on the ticket.

Drudge says McCain is going to make a speech tonight as well. The excerpt looks like he's going to try to run away from Bush policies on the war, but tout the "surge" as his own.