Yesterday's presidential primary results offered a big shot of hope for Hillary Clinton and a modest dose of confidence for Barack Obama. But there was no knockout blow.

That makes it increasingly likely that this contest will go on right through the Democratic National Convention in Denver this summer. It is a political drama the nation has not seen in a long time. And it is a story Hawai'i is watching with a mixture of fascination and pride that a "local boy" is a key player in this historic story.

And indeed, there is plenty of reason for pride, for his family here, for his school, Punahou, and for residents of a state that has long been mostly an afterthought in national politics.

But it's a pride that has to be shared with others, largely because that's how Obama has defined his political personality.

Hawai'i may claim Obama, but as far as Chicago is concerned, Obama is their hometown nominee. It's a point of view Obama is happy to encourage, from a political point of view.

And while many Islanders see Obama as a representative of multi-cultural, multi-ethnic "chop suey" Hawai'i — which he is — other groups claim him as well.

Indeed, many African-Americans are proudly calling Obama their candidate, the first person of that particular ethnic identification to be a major party nominee.

And while we're at it, don't forget that Kenya, his father's homeland, likes to claim Obama as its own. His paternal grandmother and other family members still live there, while his maternal grandmother calls Honolulu home.

In fact, even Indonesia might stake a small claim on the prospective nominee. After all, his stepfather came from Indonesia and Obama spent some of his childhood in that vast Asian country.

All this makes a point that is central to Obama's very political claim to fame. He repeatedly makes the point that he is, in one way or another, representative of all of us. His candidacy is a direct rebuke to any kind of kin-group politics, whether that politics is race-based, gender-based, class-based or geography-based.

Which leaves Hawai'i, one is forced to acknowledge, as only a small part of Obama's rise to prominence. Those years in Hawai'i may play a major part in the private makeup of Barack Obama (indeed, that's what his family and friends say) but they play a relatively minor part in his public persona.

And that makes political sense. There is little political mileage to go on about being from Hawai'i. That gets you little more than an envious chuckle.

For instance, Obama has recently been pressed to talk about whether he is tough enough to handle rough-and-tumble opposition from the Republicans as he moves toward the election.

At one rally, he shrugged off the speculation. "Can I take it?" he joked. "Well, I'm from Chicago. I'm from the South Side."

The audience laughed knowingly. They know that being from the South Side of Chicago is all about being tough.

For an understanding of where Obama is going with this, it might be instructive to read a recent article about Obama's upbringing by Todd Purdum in Vanity Fair. Because he comes from the state of aloha and flowers, Purdum said, some might consider Obama too "soft" for hard-core politics.

Clearly, that's not so. Obama knows what he is doing and where he is going. His political journey has been marked by tough and nervy choices.

But we might as well face it. That journey is not being made with an 'ukulele in his hand and a flower behind his ear. The game's too big.

Jerry Burris' column appears Wednesdays in this space. See his blog at blogs.honoluluadvertiser.com/akamaipolitics. Reach him at jrryburris@yahoo.com.