Obama cruises as Clinton shakes up campaign

By David Wiessler

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democrat Barack Obama on Sunday tried to translate weekend victories into momentum going into this week's U.S. presidential nominating contests, while Republican John McCain's march hit a few bumps in the road.

After a string of losses, Democrat Hillary Clinton announced a staff shake-up on Sunday and replaced her campaign manager, though aides played down any notion the move was a sign of trouble for the New York senator in her tight fight with Obama.

McCain, an Arizona senator who became the likely Republican nominee last week when his chief rival dropped out, lost two of three state contests on Saturday but got a vote of confidence from President George W. Bush on Sunday.

Obama, an Illinois senator who would be the first black president, scored decisive wins over Clinton on Saturday in Louisiana, Nebraska and Washington state in the race to be the Democratic nominee for the November 4 election.

Clinton, who would be the first woman president, said in a statement that Maggie Williams, a top aide when she was first lady, had taken over from Patti Solis Doyle as campaign manager. Solis Doyle will move into the role of senior adviser.

Clinton did not spell out why Solis Doyle was being replaced. The move comes as Obama raked in millions in campaign contributions in addition to the three Saturday wins.

A Clinton spokesman said the move did not reflect any change in the candidate's overall strategy.

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee beat McCain on Saturday in Louisiana and Kansas and ran a very close second in Washington state. Rep. Ron Paul of Texas, far behind in the Republican race, was a close third in Washington.