Ugly truth why Hillary Clinton won't quit  —  While the case for Hillary Clinton to stay in the race is shakier than ever, one ugly reason for staying in could be found Tuesday amid the ruddy, sun-kissed Hoosiers who cheered her on to victory at the Indianapolis Speedway.

Rep. Shuler to back Clinton  —  U.S. Rep. Heath Shuler is pledging his support to Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, according to a spokesman.  —  Shuler, a superdelegate to the National Democratic Convention, had said he would back the candidate who carried his 11th congressional district in Western North Carolina.

GOP leaders warn of election disaster  —  Shellshocked House Republicans got warnings from leaders past and present Tuesday: Your party's message isn't good enough to prevent disaster in November, and neither is the NRCC's money.  —  The double shot of bad news had one veteran Republican …

Hillary Will Drop Out by June 15  —  A senior campaign official and Clinton confidante has told me that there will be a Democratic nominee by June 15.  He could not bring himself to say the words “Hillary will drop out by June 15,” but that is clearly what he meant.

Obama Beats McCain Among Jewish Voters  —  Trails Clinton by slim margin among Jewish Democrats for the nomination  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Barack Obama is faring better than might be expected among Jewish voters, beating John McCain in Gallup Poll Daily general-election matchups …

Just Can't Shake That Nazi Party Hangover  —  Tough news last night in the closely watched Republican primary in Indiana's 2nd Congressional District.  —  Loop favorite Tony Zirkle, who had lost two primaries to former congressman Chris Chocola— albeit with 30 percent of the vote …

Preview  —  If you want to know what Hillary's strategist, Harold Ickes, might whisper in the ears of superdelegates if she decides to stay in and fight, here is a good taste.  Nothing quite beats Paul Begala lecturing Donna Brazile that Democrats can't win with a coalition of “eggheads and African Americans.”

Liberals' new cause: Religious extremism  —  Open the pages of a liberal magazine or peruse the liberal blogosphere, and you're bound to come across denunciations of the religious right, if not religion itself.  The “reality-based community,” as self-satisfied liberal bloggers call themselves …

UPDATED — BREAKING: Wesley Clark reportedly called Hillary tonight, urging her to drop out  —  UPDATE: We got a denial from General Clark's office today.  They contacted us to tell us he did not reach out to Clinton: … As I wrote in the post last night, we like General Clark here at AMERICAblog.

Pundits Declare the Race Over  —  Very early this morning, after many voters had already gone to sleep, the conventional wisdom of the elite political pundit class that resides on television shifted hard, and possibly irretrievably, against Senator Hillary Clinton's continued viability as a presidential candidate.