Obama moves to brink of victory

Barack Obama was at the brink of victory in the Democratic presidential race, moving within 70 delegates of the total he needs to claim the hard-fought nomination after defeating Hillary Rodham Clinton in the Oregon primary.

Clinton crushed Obama earlier in Kentucky, but it was a victory with scant political value in a race moving in Obama's direction. She vowed to stay in the race until the final primary June 3, even as she signaled a need for Democratic unity before the November general election.

Obama, who is seeking to become the first black US president, said the night's contests gave him a majority of the delegates elected in all 56 Democratic primaries and caucuses combined. They are distinct from the nearly 800 superdelegates, party leaders and elected officials who are free to vote for any candidate and who hold the balance of power at the national convention this August in Denver.