New Hampshire has, over the past eight years, been an important state for John McCain. He won the state's Republican primary in 2000 and again in 2008, and he seemed to feel a certain kinship with its voters -- their spirit matched his image. And in this year's Democratic primary, Hillary Clinton managed a surprise, "Dewey Defeats Truman" style win there over Barack Obama. So you can't blame the McCain camp for hoping for victory.

But it's not to be; Obama has apparently won the state and its four Electoral College votes. That may not sound like many, but at this point the Republican needs all the help he can get, and even those four votes could have made a difference for him. With them gone, his chances for victory look even slimmer.