Obama grabs Ohio and steadily rolls up Electoral votes

As the networks and the Associated Press called Ohio for Barack Obama -- around 9:45 p.m. (ET) -- the crowds were starting to leave the stadium. There was still time on the clock, but both the likely winners and the likely losers could see where things were going.

Quoth the AP: "Barack Obama has built a commanding lead, capturing another sought-after prize." Another AP dispatch called it a "near insurmountable lead."

No brave words were forthcoming from John McCain's Arizona headquarters. A quiet (but increasingly confident) vibe was coming out of the Obama camp. Crowds streamed to Grant Park in Chicago.

Ohio was where John Kerry met his Waterloo in 2004 -- and that was very late in the evening and a very close vote. This time, the Democrat was wrapping this crucial battleground state during the heart of prime-time viewing.

The Ohio win came not long after Obama locked up Pennsylvania. A scene from the Biltmore Hotel in Phoenix showed a very quiet group of McCain loyalists.