SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va. — West Virginia is “a new day, a new state, a new election,” Hillary Clinton told her audience here in front of Shepherd University’s McMurran Hall. For the political press, however, the story remained the same: How long can she go on?

“I’m staying in this race until there’s a nominee,” she said in response to a question at a press conference after her “Solutions for America” rally here, vowing to “work as hard as I can to become that nominee.”

During her speech, Clinton’s voice sounded tired as she repeated the promises of what Philip Klein has dubbed her “Say Anything” campaign. At one point, she seemed to slip from her accustomed stance of certainty, telling the crowd what would happen “if I become president” instead of her habitual “when I become president.”

While she campaigned in West Virginia’s Eastern Panhandle– and patiently endured a barrage of “when-will-it-end” questions from reporters — the word from Barack Obama’s headquarters was that the front-runner would begin focusing on the general election. Obama himself was reported to be resting in Chicago.