Let the gut punching continue.

The Associated Press (2/6, Pickler) reports, “With a split decision on Super Tuesday, Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama have entered into a protracted campaign that may not end for weeks. This isn’t how it was supposed to play out in the compressed primary calendar. … Clinton was long positioned as the presumptive nominee, then Obama won Iowa and appeared to be on his way to toppling her. … ‘We’re both preparing for a long, drawn-out affair here,’ Obama campaign manager David Plouffe said Tuesday. … Clinton and Obama were about even among white men, with both getting just under half their support, according to national exit poll results from Tuesday’s voting. … An overwhelming eight in 10 blacks supported Obama.”