Change? How about: The more things change, the more they stay the same?

It was "greatest hits" night in New Hampshire last night. McCain and Clinton. Clinton and McCain. Sound familiar?

No, it's not 1992, and it's not 2000. But, as veteran Republican analyst Patrick Griffin said after the dust settled, "There is obviously some sort of Clintonian franchise in New Hampshire and there is a McCain franchise. Well-known brands got dusted off and that is where people wound up."

McCain's larger-than-expected win in the first-in-the-nation primary, after teetering on the edge of political extinction just last summer, allows him to argue that he is the GOP frontrunner and sets him up to battle Iowa caucus winner Mike Huckabee in South Carolina and possibly finish off Mitt Romney in Michigan.

Hillary Clinton's upset win after being written off by the polls and national media set the Democratic race on an entirely new course. There will be no quick tidal wave for Barack Obama's "national movement." It is now a two-person race as the battle moves on in what is sure to be a bitter, hard-fought battle for the Democratic nomination.

Clinton's camp was prepared to call even a narrow loss a win. It didn't have to. Instead, it was Barack Obama doing a bit of damage control from the podium.

"A few weeks ago," he said, "no one would have imagined we would accomplish what we have here in New Hampshire," he said at Nashua South High School. "We always knew our climb would be steep."

"I come tonight with a very full heart," the suddenly "human" Hillary Clinton told screaming supporters at Southern New Hampshire University. "Over the past week, I listened to you and in the process, I found my own voice."

A few days ago Clinton found herself down in the polls after running a textbook campaign. It was too textbook, too contrived, with no apparent spontaneity.

But her emotional outburst on Monday in Portsmouth - which some called contrived in itself - seemed to show Clinton as a person. That, and a terrific get-out-the-vote operation led by some of New Hampshire's best veteran organizers, put her over the top.

Indeed, said former Ambassador Dick Swett, "She found her voice and changed the whole dynamic. Her heart is in this race now."

Why did it take so long?

Swett, a former congressman and U.S. Senate candidate, said, "You have so many handlers around you, and everyone is telling you what to say, and you try to say all of it. You feel why you're in this thing but you can't articulate it. And then instead of saying the line that everyone feeds you, you find your own voice."

Clinton found her voice over the past two days, said Swett.

"We always felt confident that the people of New Hampshire would look beyond the rhetoric and look at the case that the candidates were making for change," said Clinton spokesman Doug Hattaway. "Conventional wisdom was that Barack Obama was unstoppable, but New Hampshire proved otherwise."

Romney, after pouring millions into New Hampshire and Iowa and losing both by big margins, is a badly damaged candidate but is vowing to stay in the game.

His native Michigan, which will hold a primary next Tuesday, could be his last stand.

"He has failed twice with more money and more organization than anyone, and here, he is virtually a resident," said Griffin. "Essentially, New Hampshire has rejected a native son."

McCain said, in his understated way, said that while he is "past the age" to be called a kid, "Tonight, we showed them what a comeback looks like. I always told you the truth and you did me the great honor of listening."

With Sen. Judd Gregg at his side, Romney said he has won "two silvers and one gold," and he said, "Thank you, Wyoming," where he won a little-noticed caucus last Saturday.

"McCain all but put a fork in Romney tonight," said GOP strategist and former White House political affairs official David Carney of Hancock.

"New Hampshire proved its worth tonight by showing that you can't buy our affection and you can't buy this election," he said.

Carney said he expected McCain to win in Michigan and then battle Mike Huckabee in South Carolina.

"It's going to be McCain, Giuliani and Huckabee on Feb. 5."

Rudy Giuliani chose not to compete seriously in New Hampshire and is counting on a win in Florida to set up the Feb. 5 battle.

Giuliani couldn't wait to get out of here. Early last night, he said, "we're leaving in a few minutes to go to Florida." But Carney said Giuliani "may have chosen the right strategy after all."

Bill Clinton's criticism of the media on Monday night for failing to scrutinize Barack Obama's position on Iraq and other issues laid the groundwork for Clinton's campaign to try to spin even a close loss into a win.

But, "The voters of New Hampshire are independent and won't listen to the polls or the pundits," said Clinton co-chair Kathy Sullivan. "They make up their own minds. She did a terrific job. She worked hard and the voters recognized that."

Before Clinton was declared the winner, Swett said that given the expectations for a big win by Obama, "If she comes within eight points of him, she's the 'Comeback Gal.'" That wasn't necessary.

The theme was a reprise of - a symmetrical sequel to - the 1992 primary, when Bill Clinton finished second to Paul Tsongas after he had been blistered by charges of womanizing and draft-dodging.

The Obama camp was not responding on the record to the Clinton campaign theme early last night, but privately, officials scoffed at the notion. Then, Obama himself tried to spin his loss into a win.

On the Republican side, it was an early night.

While Obama won over women in Iowa, CNN's exit polls showed in New Hampshire that Clinton was leading among women, 47 to 34 percent. CNN said that independents comprised 43 percent of those interviewed in its exit polls and 43 percent of them supported Obama, compared to 31 percent for Clinton. But Clinton beat Obama 45 to 34 percent among those who described themselves as registered Democrats. CNN said Democrats comprised 54 percent of those polled.

There is still much to be said for retail campaigning. New Hampshire rewarded "old friend" McCain for his experience, "straight talk" style and heavy commitment to Granite State-style door-to-door, handshake-to-handshake retail politics.

The McCain campaign had been privately more nervous than it was letting on in public about becoming a victim of what was expected to be an Obama victory as independents flocked to the Democratic ticket.

But CNN's exit polls showed 37 percent of Republican primary voters were self-described independents, and 39 percent of them went for McCain, while 27 percent supported Romney. Romney had expected a big advantage among registered Republicans but the two broke even in that category, CNN said.

Camp McCain believed victory was at hand, even if 60 percent of the independent voters went Democratic, as predicted by Secretary of State William Gardner and recent polls conducted for CNN and WMUR by the University of New Hampshire.

John Edwards' camp was anxious to eliminate Clinton from the nominating race but found himself finishing a distant third and has been effectively eliminated from serous contention for the nomination.