Ron Paul's forces quietly plot GOP convention revolt against McCain  —  Virtually all the nation's political attention in recent weeks has focused on the compelling state-by-state presidential nomination struggle between two Democrats and the potential for party-splitting strife over there.

Clinton creaming Obama in Ky.  —  U.S. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton enters the final week before Kentucky's May 20 Democratic presidential primary with a commanding 27 percentage point lead over U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, a new poll shows.  —  She leads the Illinois senator 58 percent to 31 percent …

President Apostate?  —  BARACK OBAMA has emerged as a classic example of charismatic leadership — a figure upon whom others project their own hopes and desires.  The resulting emotional intensity adds greatly to the more conventional strengths of the well-organized Obama campaign …

For Obama, Advice Straight Up  —  Valerie Jarrett Is Essential Member of Inner Set  —  In one of the small, rural towns where Barack Obama was campaigning this year, he asked an aide for a slice of pecan pie to go with his usual dinner of salmon, broccoli and brown rice.

How to end a presidential campaign  —  There are 50 ways to leave your lover, 13 ways of looking at a blackbird, and at least six ways to drop out of a presidential race.  With Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign running on empty with little hope of victory, the New York senator's allies …

Democrats Face Rescue Backlash  —  Some Voters Oppose Having to Bail Out Homeowners at Risk  —  Democrats may be risking a backlash at the polls in November by pushing hard to use taxpayer money to rescue homeowners who can no longer afford their mortgages in the face of stiff resistance from President Bush and many other Republicans.

O'Reilly's meltdown: ‘F*ck it!  F*cking thing sucks!’  —  Between 1989 and 1995, Bill O'Reilly hosted the entertainment program “Inside Edition.”  A new behind-the-scenes video from his time there has surfaced, showing O'Reilly flipping out because of a teleprompter malfunction.  “I can't read it!

Drive in Basra by Iraqi Army Makes Gains  —  BASRA, Iraq — Three hundred miles south of Baghdad, the oil-saturated city of Basra has been transformed by its own surge, now seven weeks old.  —  In a rare success, forces loyal to Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki have largely quieted the city …

NBC's Primary Source for Election '08  —  NEW YORK — In a borrowed office at 30 Rock, Chuck Todd is on his cellphone, telling a Barack Obama strategist that his boss will probably fall just short of winning Indiana that night.  —  “Are you really going to ask for a recount over one delegate?”