It's Obama, stupid: Carter and Gore to end Clinton bid  —  DEMOCRAT grandees Jimmy Carter and Al Gore are being lined-up to deliver the coup de grâce to Hillary Clinton and end her campaign to become president.  —  Falling poll numbers and a string of high-profile blunders …

‘Bitter’ Is a Hard Pill For Obama to Swallow  —  He Stands by Sentiment as Clinton Pounces  —  Sen. Barack Obama on Saturday expressed regret about the way he phrased a remark describing the plight of Americans who live in small towns, as Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign continued …

Dancing fools  —  I was very sorry to be missing this, as I'm out of DC for the weekend, but not as sorry as I am now—someone just got arrested.  —  The background: twenty people were at the Jefferson Memorial, dancing to the private groove of their own iPods so as not to disturb anyone.

Furore over Hitchens's sapphic slip  —  When is a lesbian not a lesbian?  When the person in question is a gay, Catholic, conservative blogger by the name of Andrew Sullivan, it would seem.  —  For when Sullivan was stuck for words on an American news discussion programme last week …

In Job Search, Gonzales Sees No Takers  —  WASHINGTON — Alberto R. Gonzales, like many others recently unemployed, has discovered how difficult it can be to find a new job.  Mr. Gonzales, the former attorney general, who was forced to resign last year, has been unable to interest law firms …

We Don't Need No Stinkin' Context  —  The silliest thing I have read today comes from the Big Tent Democrat, who takes up otherwise useful space at Jeralyn Merritt's TalkLeft.  The BTD compares and contrasts a McCain statement that is being offered as the moral equivalent of Obama's small town gaffe.

Clinton touts her experience with guns  —  VALPARAISO, Indiana (CNN) — Hillary Clinton appealed to Second Amendment supporters on Saturday by hinting that she has some experience of her own pulling triggers.  —  “I disagree with Sen. Obama's assertion that people in our country cling to guns …

Will Clinton Over-Reach?  —  The “bitter” spat is gold for Morris-Rove politics, which is why Clinton is exploiting it so baldly.  It is exactly the kind of debate that has constructed American politics since Vietnam; it is exactly the kind of politics that Obama has been trying to transcend.

Hillary: Practically A Redneck Pennsylbaman Herself  —  We learn many, many things from the illuminating video below.  —  Hillary's pop stacked paper at Dunder-Miflin Scranton, grandpappy was an 11 year-old bobbin boy in the Scranton mills, and she herself grew up a God-fearing gun-toter.

Memo to Petraeus & Crocker: More Laughs, Please  —  Once again it is time to bid aloha to that sober team of mirthless entertainers, Petraeus & Crocker.  —  It's hard to imagine where you could find another pair of such sleep-inducing performers.  —  I can't look at Petraeus …

Secret Iraqi Deal Shows Problems in Arms Orders  —  BAGHDAD — An $833 million Iraqi arms deal secretly negotiated with Serbia has underscored Iraq's continuing problems equipping its armed forces, a process that has long been plagued by corruption and inefficiency.

Obama's Magic Numbers  —  In recent weeks, Trailwatch has repeatedly discussed Hillary Clinton's poor prospects for catching Barrack Obama in the delegate race for the Democratic nomination.  It is starting to look like Obama can now win enough delegates, 2,024, to secure the nomination before the Democrats meet in late August.

BACK TO THE CAMPAIGN.  —  This may sound odd, but man am I disappointed that stuff is happening again in the presidential campaign.  These last few weeks of relative quiet have been terrific.  All the older reporters tell me that this is supposedly the greatest campaign of my lifetime …