The early results are in...

The most significant of the early returns look good for the junior senator from Illinois. Most of the major media outlets are calling two blue-leaning states -- Pennsylvania and New Hampshire -- for Barack Obama, giving him an early lead as the East Coast results continue to trickle in.

The positive developments for McCain, on the other hand, appear to include Indiana and Virginia, where he holds leads of 51 percent to 48 and 55-42, respectively, each with roughly a third of precincts reporting.

MSNBC's Tom Curry, however, reports that exit polling data suggest a more promising outcome for Obama than do the early results. It's hard for a Democrat to put too much stock in exit polls these days, considering the recent history of John Kerry's candidacy, but at least in the case of Virginia, there may be reason to believe the numbers are skewed.

32 percent of Virginians' votes are in at the moment, but the question is which 32 percent. The longest lines at Virginia polling places are inevitably the ones in the northern part of the state, where the densely populated suburbs of Washington, D.C., are sure to generate high voter turnout. Those areas have traditionally been heavily Democratic, and there's no reason to expect that trend to change this year. Perhaps while the rest of the state's precincts trickle in over the course of this evening, the numbers will begin to trend toward Obama.

Time will tell. So far, at least, there is life in the Republican camp. But don't blink.

--Evans Clinchy