DC GOP Party Ends With Tears

WASHINGTON, DC (WUSA) -- It was one of those parties that starts strong and fizzles.

Scores of oysters on the half shell were left to stew in their melted ice as supporters of Sen. John McCain streamed toward the exits at the Republican National Committee event at the Capitol Hilton in downtown DC. The seven piece pop band stopped playing just before the networks called the race for Sen. Barack Obama.

The ballroom had been shoulder to shoulder were thousands of congressional staffers and RNC workers. "If Barack Obama is elected, I'll give up my citizenship threatened one."

It was just a short time later that the networks called Pennsylvania for Sen. Obama, leading another to say "It's over."

The band played Madonna's "Just Like a Prayer," but by the time Sen. McCain took the stage in Phoenix, only a few hundred were left in the Hilton ballroom. Still, there were enough to scream, "No! when Sen McCain told the crowd, "The failure is mine, not yours." A few wiped away tears.

As they left, some young Republicans were already plotting a comeback. The big question: Will it be a move toward the center recommended by outgoing Rep. Tom Davis (R-VA)? Or will the GOP find its strength by reaching back to its base, as advised by by Virginia State Delegate Bob Marshall of Manassas.