The US:BY THE time Hillary Clinton's supporters gathered in the Murat Centre, a vast, Egyptian-themed masonic hall in the centre of Indianapolis, it was already clear that this was not going to be the election night celebration they were hoping for.
Great banks of red, white and blue balloons rose up along the walls as a hand-picked group of mostly young voters assembled behind the podium but giant screens were flashing increasingly grim news from CNN.
Early returns showed Clinton ahead by about four points in Indiana but Barack Obama's margin of victory in North Carolina was so great that all the television networks called the state for him as soon as the polls closed.
After the worst two weeks for Obama since the campaign began, the most modest among Clinton's supporters had hoped for a clear win in Indiana and a single-digit loss in North Carolina. As the controversy over Obama's former pastor, Jeremiah Wright, rolled on last week and rural voters responded to Clinton's proposal to suspend the federal gasoline tax, some of her aides even believed she could pull off an upset victory in North Carolina.
Instead, as Clinton's lead in Indiana dwindled through the evening to almost nothing, Mr Obama won North Carolina by a thumping 14 points.
"We're disappointed," said Mindy Garringer, an Indianapolis union worker who had come to Clinton's party with two friends. "We were hoping a double win would happen and we wanted to be here for that because that would have been really history-making."
Retired telecommunications engineer Jim Harris remained convinced that Clinton was a better candidate but he was already taking another look at Obama.
"He's OK. But I think he's too fast of a talker. I think he talks more than he can do. But if he's nominated, I'll vote for him," he said.
"I really think, I really do, if this preacher deal had come out about Obama three months ago, he wouldn't even be in the running. If we nominate him, I've got to vote for him but I think he'd have much more difficulty beating McCain than Hillary would."
As the count in Indiana tightened and the party became a little gloomier by the minute, I asked Clinton's campaign chairman what had gone wrong in North Carolina.
"Listen, he was always ahead. Obviously, there's a significant share of the African-American vote there," he said, adding that the campaign would continue until the remaining six states have voted. "We're up substantially in West Virginia, we're up in Kentucky, we're up in Puerto Rico. We're up in a lot of the states coming up with large populations where we can really pick up the popular vote."
A few minutes later, it became clear that Mr Obama had won so handsomely in North Carolina that it was now almost impossible for Mrs Clinton to catch up in the popular vote, even if the disputed primaries in Florida and Michigan are counted. While her supporters waited, Obama was taking the stage in Raleigh, North Carolina, for a speech that sounded like that of his party's undisputed nominee.
"Tonight, many of the pundits have suggested that this party is inalterably divided - that Senator Clinton's supporters will not support me, and that my supporters will not support her," he said.
"Well I'm here tonight to tell you that I don't believe it. Yes, there have been bruised feelings on both sides. Yes, each side desperately wants their candidate to win. But ultimately, this race is not about Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama or John McCain. This election is about you - the American people - and whether we will have a president and a party that can lead us toward a brighter future."
When Clinton addressed her supporters, Indiana was still too close to call (the result did not become clear until after 1am) but she made the victory speech she had planned. The candidate, who has been at her best during the recent, two-month fightback, said her campaign would carry on but she acknowledged that it might not go her way.
"No matter what happens, I will work for the nominee of the Democratic Party, because we must win in November," she said.
As she appealed for more contributions to her campaign, Clinton put the bravest possible face on the night's events but the faces of her husband Bill and daughter Chelsea behind her told a different, bleaker story. While Chelsea's smile was fixed almost into a wince, her father could scarcely manage a smile at all, his purple face a mixture of concern, weariness and defeat.
When Clinton finished speaking and started greeting supporters at the rope line, two confetti guns burst into life. One shot a few lifeless bursts while the other pumped out nothing but thick grey smoke that filled a corner of the room before the stricken machine sputtered softly and died.