GUEST STAR No. 2: In January TheNation.com launched a rotating guest blog, Passing Through, featuring monthly stints by some of America's most celebrated political bloggers. Next up is David Roberts, the senior staff writer at Grist.org, an online journal of green politics and culture. He blogs there daily, even obsessively, mainly on politics and energy. He also has a monthly column on green business in Fast Company magazine. Look for David's posts on our website through February.

ELECTORAL MATH: The race for the Democratic nomination, as we've been reminded over and over, is a battle for delegates. Going into Super Tuesday, Barack Obama led Hillary Clinton by sixty-three to forty-eight pledged delegates. As we go to press following a twenty-two-state bonanza, the margin between the candidates was practically the same--or possibly tighter. On Wednesday morning, the Obama campaign claimed a twenty-eight-delegate lead, 910 to 882. The Clinton camp said it was up by five. CNN put Obama up thirteen. It takes 2,025 delegates to clinch the nomination. Prepare for a long ride.

Between February 9 and February 12, five states--along with DC and the Virgin Islands--will hold primaries and caucuses, awarding 475 delegates. Polling has been scant in the upcoming contest, but Obama retains an advantage in a number of states, including Louisiana and the so-called Potomac Primaries of Maryland, Virginia and DC. The Virgin Islands, with a whopping nine delegates, is too close to call. If the Democratic nominee isn't clear after that, the delegate-rich states of Wisconsin (February 19), Ohio and Texas (both March 4) will loom even larger. If the race stretches into April, Pennsylvania's 188 delegates could prove decisive.

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