Obama to clinch pledged delegate majority Tuesday in Des Moines, Iowa.

WASHINGTON–Hat tip to Politico.com for the report that Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) plans–“barring a last minute change” to claim virtually clinching the Democratic presidential nomination Tuesday night in Iowa–a red state he wants to turn blue. The Sun-Times Saturday morning confirmed the Politico scoop–and it seems now no last minute change is in the works. Obama will end this phase in the campaign in the Hawkeye State–where he came in first in the January cacucus vote.

Tuesday is election day in Kentucky and Oregon and Obama is expected to win Oregon and give up Kentucky to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) But throwing a big victory party in Oregon–on Pacific time–won’t move the storyline along as much as going to a November battleground. Tuesday will mark Obama winning the majority of pledged delegates. The Obama campaign strategy is to continue to act as if the nomination was wrapped up even if Obama is short of delegates. President Bush attacking Obama for his foreign policy in Jerusalem does Obama a favor–he elevates Obama as if he were already the Democratic Party nominee.