Obama camp keep faith in their man

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By Justin Webb BBC North America editor, San Antonio, Texas

Barack Obama failed to pick up the key state of TexasWhen is he coming?

That was the question that dominated the crowd at the Barack Obama event as the Texas evening - balmy to start with - turned decidedly chilly.

The setting was gorgeous - in the Spanish-style heart of San Antonio - and made for a victory speech.

But it soon became obvious that no such speech could come.

This alliance of voters wandering off into the night are disappointed with the results, but not disappointed with their man <a class="" href="/1/hi/world/americas/7278629.stm">Clinton ends losing streak</a> Might we have to wait all night for Obama to arrive? Some journalists went inside and stood gloomily in front of CNN while the presenters chatted merrily about contests to come and how the Texas result might not be known for decades.

Then quite suddenly he arrived. I think some of the cheers were relief as much as joy.

He spoke well, I thought. There were no great rhetorical flourishes which would have seemed out of place. Instead he seemed quietly determined to keep going and he was gracious, as he always has been, about his opponent's success.

At the end of it there was the usual scramble to get close to him and the VIPs melted away into the night.

I noticed one thing though that I have noticed before - everybody keeps their Obama posters with them. I remember in 2004 you could find the floor strewn with discarded John Kerry posters within seconds of a rally ending. They (and he) were not for keeps.

But the Obama crowd, like the Bush crowd in 2004, held on to their posters. This is not a scientific technique for measuring attachment to a candidate and thus eventual long-term support, but in the middle of the night in San Antonio it was the best measure I could find.

This alliance of voters wandering off into the night are disappointed with the results, but not disappointed with their man. His team will hope that counts for something.