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Dallas, TX — It might have seemed nearly unimaginable only six months ago but Sen. John McCain officially won the GOP nomination Tuesday night after triumphant victories in Texas, Ohio, Rhode Island and Vermont.

“Now, we begin the most important part of our campaign: to make a respectful, determined and convincing case to the American people that our campaign and my election as President, given the alternatives presented by our friends in the other party, are in the best interests of the country we love,” McCain said before about 500 supporters at a victory party in Dallas. “The contest begins tonight. It will have its ups and downs. But we will fight every minute of every day to make certain we have a government that is as capable, wise, brave and decent as the great people we serve. That is our responsibility and I will not let you down.”

While he used victory speeches in recent weeks as a launching pad to strike his Democratic rivals, McCain focused most of tonight’s address on his vision for the country.

“Nothing is inevitable in America. We are the captains of our fate. We’re not a country that prefers nostalgia to optimism; a country that would rather go back than forward. We’re the world’s leader, and leaders don’t pine for the past and dread the future. We make the future better than the past. We don’t hide from history. We make history,” McCain said. “I understand the responsibilities I incur with this nomination, and I give you my word, I will not evade or slight a single one. Our campaign must be, and will be more than another tired debate of false promises, empty sound-bites, or useless arguments from the past that address not a single American’s concerns for their family’s security.”

Campaign Manager Rick Davis told reporters afterward that he was ecstatic about the victory, noting that they were “smallest campaign in history,” to win the nomination. Though he was also realistic about the prospects McCain faces against the more energized, better financed Democrats, arguing that they face another uphill climb to win in November.

He was also split on whether the prospect of a prolonged Democratic fight was good for McCain. While Davis acknowledged that the campaign would be able to raise more money if they had one rival and the ongoing race keeps them out of the headlines, he added that “if they spend all their money beating each other up, that is pretty good for us.”

McCain heads to Washington Wednesday morning to receive the endorsement of President Bush at the White House and address the Republican National Committee. Davis said the campaign is energized to be “drinking out of the firehose” that the RNC apparatus now provides—including fundraising infrastructure, voter research and polling data as well as a rapid response shop.

With Barack Obama hammering away at her on trade in the industrial state of Ohio, Hillary Clinton took her shots at Obama on health care in one of the forgotten March 4th states — Rhode Island, where that issue is at the top of voters’ minds.

“I was pleased when he agreed with me that we should have clean energy jobs, what I call green collar,” she said. “I have been somewhat disappointed that he doesn’t agree with me on a moratorium and an interest rate freeze when it comes to stopping the home foreclosures.”

“But of all our differences, the one that is just inexplicable to me is his refusal to put forth a plan on universal health care, and his continuing attacks on my plan to do so.”

Senator Clinton often cites independent studies claiming Obama’s plan would leave 15 million Americans uninsured — while hers provides a mandate that everyone purchase health care coverage.

Today, however, she went further — accusing Obama of mischaracterizing his own health care proposal.

“Senator Obama says one thing in speeches, but his campaign does something else,” she said

. “In his speech, he says he’s for universal health care, but his plan is not. His plan cannot cover everyone, because there is no requirement that people be covered.”

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Senator Hillary Clinton’s argument that her Democratic opponent is all rhetoric and no results took a supernatural turn in Rhode Island today, as she argued that hard work - not divine intervention - will be needed to solve America’s problems.

“I could stand here and say, let’s just get everybody together. Let’s get unified,” she said, making an oft-heard argument that Barack Obama’s call for unity is useless without direction. Looking up at the ceiling and gesturing toward the heavens as if to mock Obama’s lofty rhetoric, she said “the sky will open, the light will come down. Celestial choirs will be singing, and everyone will know that we should do the right thing and the world will be perfect.”

Clinton, who paints Obama as a rosy idealist to her realist, continued “maybe I’ve just lived a little long, but I have no illusions about how hard this is going to be. You are not going to wave a magic wand and make the special interests disappear.”

President Clinton got in trouble before the South Carolina primary for calling Obama’s record of oppostion to the Iraq war a “fairy tale” - one of the remarks Sen Clinton apologized for yesterday when she said she regretted if anyone was offended by his words.

Continuing to argue that, when it comes to governing, competence is preferable to inspiration, Clinton said “we need a president who gets up every day and figures out how to navigate through this complicated [government] system.”

As if to illustrate her point that actions are better than words, one person near the stage fainted as Hillary launched into a particularly pointed argument about the need for a freeze on home foreclosures.

Offering up her water to aid in the recovery, Sen Clinton joked “I’m sure it was my heated rhetoric.”

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Former GOP Rhode Island Senator Lincoln Chaffee endorsed Barack Obama today, because he believes Obama to be “the best candidate to restore American credibility, to restore our confidence to be moral and just, and to bring people together to solve the complex issues such as the economy, the environment and global stability.”

Chaffee was, in essence, the Joe Lieberman of the Republican Party in the U.S. Senate, and after losing reelection in 2006 to Democrat Sheldon Whitehouse, switched his allegiance to Independent.

Interestingly, Senator McCain visited Rhode Island in 2006 to help Chaffee win reelection while Senator Obama campaigned in the Ocean State on behalf of Chaffee’s opponent - twice.

Obviously no hard feelings from Chaffee - “I was running in 2006 as a Republican, and that’s the way the system works,” the former senator explained, adding, “I’m sure Senator McCain will understand.”

The Rhode Island primary is on March 4th.