FIRST THOUGHTS: TWO DIFFERENT MAPS  —  From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, and Domenico Montanaro  —  *** Two different maps: On TODAY and Morning Joe, NBC's Tim Russert took at a stab at November's electoral map.  And this morning, we do the same, to show how different Clinton's and Obama's paths to 270 are.

When Did The Pledged Delegate Count Become The Holy Grail?  How The Obama Camp and NBC Made It So  —  It is one of the most interesting phenomenas of this campaign and the Obama camp deserves great credit for this spin achievement - the turning of the pledged delegate count into the Holy Grail of this campaign.

Obama's $40 Million Haul (And What It Means)  —  Sen. Barack Obama raised better than $40 million for his presidential campaign in the month of March alone, bringing his total raised for the first three months of 2008 to a staggering $134 million.  —  “Today we're seeing the American people's …

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.

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.

Barr bid could hurt McCain  —  Can a conservative former congressman who helped impeach President Clinton, is a board member of the National Rifle Association and has done contract work with the ACLU dent Sen. John McCain's presidential bid?  —  That's exactly what Mr. McCain would face if Bob Barr …

Obama is Smokin'  —  Last August, I ran into Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, outside the Senate chamber in the Capitol.  —  This was before the Obama surge, before he had omnipresent Secret Service agents, back when you might see him strolling solo.  —  We chatted for a second …

McCain Is AWOL On New GI Bill  —  In November 2007, Sens. Jim Webb and Chuck Hagel penned an op-ed in the New York Times advocating a reformed G.I. Bill that would provide Iraq war veterans with greater educational opportunities.  —  The idea, which was first introduced in January 2007, was at once ambitious and benign.

Graham Claims McCain Has Done ‘Even More’ Than Al Gore On Global Warming  —  An online ABC News article on the “surrogate wars” of this year's presidential election quoted Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), an ardent supporter of Sen. John McCain's (R-AZ) candidacy, saying that McCain has …

McCain rejects Secret Service protection  —  Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) may be the presumptive GOP nominee for president, but, by his own wishes, he is not being protected by the Secret Service.  —  “He has not requested protection,” Secret Service Director Mark Sullivan told a congressional subcommittee this morning.

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 …

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.

Ted Turner: Global warming could lead to cannibalism  —  Billionaire environmentalist says world has too many people  —  Failure to address global warming will have us all dead or eating each other by mid-century.  —  So says Ted Turner, the restaurateur, environmentalist …

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.

Muslims Leaving Islam in Droves  —  Pope Benedict's choice to publicly baptize the most prominent Muslim in Italy, Egyptian-born Magdi Allam, highlights a quiet worldwide exodus from Islam.  In recent years, millions have moved on.  With this high-profile action, Pope Benedict demonstratively blesses …

Fast Start for Soft Money Groups in 2008 Election  —  527s Adapt to New Rules, 501(c)(4)s On the Upswing  —  Soft money groups in the 2008 election are off to a strong start.  Federally-focused 527 political organizations raised money in 2007 at a faster clip than in the comparable off year before the 2004 election.

Tax returns coming  —  Clinton aide Howard Wolfson suggested that Hillary's tax returns will be out today or tomorrow:  —  “She said late last week that they would be out within a week and so you can count on that,” he said.  —  Wolfson also said Clinton's fundraising totals would be out when the filings are due, around April 20.