We have a new ritual this year. Time and time again, supporters of Senator Clinton and Senator Obama sit around reduced to being nervous wrecks while waiting for returns. We call each other begging for any information on turnout or exit polls. When we are lucky enough to score data from exit polls we immediately dismiss them as being unreliable. Then once again we pick up the phone and seek more information from those 'unreliable exit polls'!

Well, as we sit waiting for evening when the polls close in Indiana and North Carolina to see how our respective candidates fared, lets take a look at what the victories and losses might mean today and over the next couple of weeks.

Lets talk about the 'sweep scenario' with each of the candidates:

If Senator Obama takes both Indiana and North Carolina, no matter what the margin, it will be almost impossible to stop him from obtaining the nomination. You can expect a wave of super delegates over the next weeks. In addition, more and more 'party elders' will line up behind him. Even though Senator Clinton will continue and most likely will win West Virginia and Kentucky big, it will have little impact since Obama will carry Oregon. We then can expect to see a peaceful solution to the Florida and Michigan question that will not change the equation between the candidates.

If Senator Clinton wins both states, she continues to gain serious momentum. Although the math is not right, she will clearly start impressing not only super delegates but other delegates about Obama's inability to close and the damage done by Reverend Wright .The loss of both states will be a serious set back to Obama . She can quickly follow up with huge margins in West Virginia and Kentucky and put Oregon in play. She can then cap it off with a victory in Puerto Rico. And then it is on to the Convention for a bitter floor battle around Florida and Michigan.

At the end of today, if we see a split decision, Obama still holds the edge in delegates and is the likely nominee but the battle will continue and Florida and Michigan could become bitter battlegrounds at the Convention. This is especially true since wins in West Virginia and Kentucky will embolden the Clinton forces. We can only hope in this case that cooler heads will prevail and that an agreement can be reached before the Convention.

Somewhere along here we have to start defeating John McCain.

So join me in being a nervous wreck no matter who your candidate. Don't bother calling me for exit polls since I seem to get the ones that are always wrong!