BARACK'S A LOST CAUSE: HILL  —  VAIN BID TO WIN RICHARDSON'S SUPPORT  —  WASHINGTON - While lobbying for his endorsement, Hillary Rodham Clinton flatly told New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson that Barack Obama could not win the presidency if he got the Democratic nomination.  —  “He cannot win, Bill.

McCain Spoofs Clinton in New Ad  —  Laura Meckler reports from Jacksonville, Fla., on the presidential race.  —  The McCain campaign plans to begin airing a new ad on national cable TV starting Thursday, aides said tonight.  The spot, which attacks Democrats Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama on the economy …

Yoo Two  —  Yesterday another of the long-withheld torture memoranda was released.  In early 2003, beginning after the Ashcroft Justice Department dispensed advice to the Central Intelligence Agency authorizing the introduction of torture techniques, Rumsfeld's lawyer, William J.

STILL SPEECHLESS AFTER ALL THESE YEARS!  Journalists run out of questions for Saint McCain!  It helped make Lizza's profile a rerun:  —  THE AGE OF THE NOVEL: A golden age of novelization began in 1992.  In today's Post, Michael Gerson begins his column with one of this era's earliest tales.

For McCain, son's duty in Iraq is not a talking point  —  Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) regularly talks about his military experience on the presidential campaign trail, but he draws the line when asked about his sons' service in the armed forces.  —  Jimmy McCain, 19, who returned from Iraq in mid-February …

Obama breaks $40 million for March  —  Yet another success of lowered expectations, and well-concealed numbers, as Obama announces his fundraising numbers for March.  —  The campaign says he raised more than $40 million from more than 442,000, more than 218,000 of whom were giving for the first time.

Jane Fonda endorses Barack Obama; there goes his crossover vote  —  Jane Fonda, the actress and ardent anti-Vietnam War advocate who visited North Vietnam during those hostilities, has endorsed Democrat Barack Obama for president.  —  There were no formal ceremonies for the endorsement.

Obama's Dimestore ‘Mein Kampf’  —  If characters from “The Hills” were to emote about race, I imagine it would sound like B. Hussein Obama's autobiography, “Dreams From My Father.”  —  Has anybody read this book?  Inasmuch as the book reveals Obama to be a flabbergasting lunatic …

GOP under fire from everywhere after 9/11 comments  —  WASHINGTON - The California congressman who called the Sept. 11 attacks “simply” a plane crash ran for cover Wednesday under a barrage of ridicule from fellow Republicans, first responders and victims' families.

Drink Absolut Vodka— Bring Back Mythical Aztlan  —  Here's an Absolut-ly Outrageous Ad in Mexico City...  Absolut Vodka reaches out to La Raza:  —  Mi Blog Es Tu Blog saw the ad in the current issue of Quien magazine.  —  “In an Absolut World anything can happen including getting the US-Mexico border straight once and for all.”

Why the Democratic race could end in North Carolina  —  RALEIGH, N.C. — The end could be near.  —  Or the endgame, at least, of a surprisingly drawn-out Democratic presidential contest.  Four months and 42 states after the opening Iowa caucuses, the primary in North Carolina on May 6 …

Calls renewed to fix Berkeley's citizen boards  —  Berkeley is finding that having its own foreign policy isn't cheap.  The city's recent dustup with the U.S. Marine Corps has so far cost the city more than $200,000, while businesses say they've been slammed by related protests.

U.S. Cites Gaps in Planning of Iraqi Assault on Basra  —  BAGHDAD — Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker first learned of the Iraqi plan on Friday, March 21: Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki would be heading to Basra with Iraqi troops to bring order to the city.  —  But the Iraqi operation was not what the United States expected.

Student Sues ‘Anti-Christian’ Teacher Over Remarks in Class  —  A student and his family have filed a federal lawsuit demanding that a popular European history teacher at California's Capistrano Valley High School be fired for what they say were anti-Christian remarks he made in the classroom.

DNC convention stance surprises campaigns  —  The Democratic National Committee said Tuesday that Florida and Michigan members will be seated on the three standing committees — including the critical Credentials Committee—at the party's 2008 national convention, a position that could affect the selection of the Democratic nominee.

Carter hints at Obama backing  —  The Nigerian paper This Day reports that the former president all but came out for Obama, speaking to reporters in that country: … He was in Abuja, the paper reports, for the Carter Center awards for guinea worm eradication.