McCain's Veep Options  —  While congratulations are still premature, with Mitt Romney dropping out of the race yesterday it is now very likely that the Republican Party will nominate Sen. John McCain for president.  If that happens, the GOP will, for the first time since 1976 …

Romney's Run Was Dogged by Miscalculations  —  With Mitt Romney's campaign for president nearly in tatters, he huddled with his senior advisers on Wednesday morning, jotting notes with pen and paper, to go over his options.  —  By the time the meeting ended, he seemed to want to stay in the race.

The Story from CPAC  —  Will reporters hype the division?  —  JOHN MCCAIN'S SPEECH at CPAC was surprisingly well-received.  Aside from a couple small pockets of boos, McCain got a more than polite applause from the crowd.  And one of the interesting things to watch, from my vantage point …

Gloves off: The Dem plan to hit McCain  —  With John McCain poised to win the Republican nomination, Democrats are already gathering ammunition to use against him in the general election.  —  In more than a few instances, the best fodder has been provided by the candidate himself.

Can Mrs. Clinton Lose?  —  If Hillary Clinton loses, does she know how to lose?  What will that be, if she loses?  Will she just say, “I concede” and go on vacation at a friend's house on an island, and then go back to the Senate and wait?  —  Is it possible she could be so normal?

I Hate This  —  From WSJ: … And from Steven Waldman at Beliefnet: … I repeat: I do not believe that Mitt Romney is not the nominee because of his religion.  I do, however, think it was a problem.  And that is offensive to our very Founding.  Someone out there needs to have some deep discussions …

Bush, Congress hit bottom in AP poll  —  WASHINGTON - It's almost as if people can barely stand the thought of President Bush and Congress anymore.  Bush reached his lowest approval rating in The Associated Press-Ipsos poll on Friday as only 30 percent said they like the job he is doing …

Berkeley Backs Off On Banning Marines  —  Berkeley Mayor Apologizes To Marines Over Recruiting Center Flap  —  BERKELEY, Calif. — As six Republican senators devised a plan to yank $2.3 million in federal funding for Berkeley programs, the mayor of the famously liberal city apologized Wednesday …

Studies Deem Biofuels a Greenhouse Threat  —  Almost all biofuels used today cause more greenhouse gas emissions than conventional fuels if the full emissions costs of producing these “green” fuels are taken into account, two studies being published Thursday have concluded.

A Long Story  —  The economic news has been fairly dire this week.  The credit crunch is getting worse, and a widely watched indicator of trends in the service sector — which is most of the economy — has fallen off a cliff.  It's still not a certainty that we're headed into recession, but the odds are growing greater.

Governor Mitt Romney Addresses CPAC  —  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  —  Washington, D.C. - Today, addressing the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), Governor Romney announced that he was suspending his presidential campaign for the sake of Republican unity and the future of our country.

Ex-Republican Chafee considers voting for Obama in R.I. primary  —  Driven by his strong opposition to the war in Iraq, former Republican U.S. Sen. Lincoln Chafee may do something radical, at least for him: cast a vote in a Democratic primary.  —  Chafee, who lost his reelection race in 2006 …