Racist Incidents Give Some Obama Campaigners Pause  —  Danielle Ross was alone in an empty room at the Obama campaign headquarters in Kokomo, Ind., a cellphone in one hand, a voter call list in the other.  She was stretched out on the carpeted floor wearing laceless sky-blue Converses, stories from the trail on her mind.

A Clinton win in W. Virginia could raise doubts  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) — Sen. Hillary Clinton's expected victory in West Virginia Tuesday won't cut much into Sen. Barack Obama's delegate lead, but it may cast doubt on Obama's support among certain Democratic voters, a CNN political analyst said.

Carville: Obama likely to win nomination  —  (CNN) — James Carville has been one of Hillary Clinton's most energetic defenders, but on Monday he all but declared Barack Obama will become the Democratic nominee for president.  —  Speaking to students at Furman University in Greenville …

Johnson Switches Sides Again, Endorses Obama  —  Prince George's County Executive Jack B. Johnson, a Democratic convention delegate pledged to support Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, said yesterday that he thinks Sen. Barack Obama has “in a real sense” won the Democratic nomination and that he now plans …

McCain Backer John Hagee Apologizes to Catholics  —  Elizabeth Holmes reports on the presidential race.  —  John Hagee, the controversial evangelical pastor who endorsed John McCain, will issue a letter of apology to Catholics today for inflammatory remarks he has made …

Senate rebukes Bush on energy policy  —  The Senate issued a strong, bipartisan rebuke to President Bush on energy policy Tuesday morning, voting 97-1 in favor of a measure to suspend oil shipments to the strategic petroleum reserve, despite the White House's objections to the provision.

A Spoiler, by Way of the Dairy Case  —  In his career in public service, Bob Barr has performed many important roles.  —  As a Republican candidate for the House in 1994, he rose to national attention when reports alleged that he had licked whipped cream off the breasts of two women at a charity event.

The Neural Buddhists  —  In 1996, Tom Wolfe wrote a brilliant essay called “Sorry, but Your Soul Just Died,” in which he captured the militant materialism of some modern scientists.  —  To these self-confident researchers, the idea that the spirit might exist apart from the body is just ridiculous.

DUMB OR MENDACIOUS?  OR BOTH?....Democrats are taking unsurprising glee in rubbing GOP noses in the fact that the new campaign slogan chosen by House Republicans — “Change You Deserve” — turns out to also be the trademarked slogan of the antidepressant Effexor.  What a gift for late-night comics.

The Obama Rules  —  If Barack Obama gets his way, the Oxford English Dictionary will have updated its definition of “distraction” by the end of the campaign: “Diversion of the mind, attention, etc., from any object or course that tends to advance the political interests of Barack Obama.”

Senators say whether they'd agree to be vice president  —  The Hill asked all 97 senators who are not running for president the same question: “If you were asked, would you accept an offer to be the VP nominee?”  —  Some senators laughed, but others took the question seriously.

Help Wanted: Lefty College Seeks Right-Wing Prof  —  CU-Boulder Bid to Endow A ‘Conservative’ Chair Leaves Both Sides Uneasy  —  BOULDER, Colo. — How liberal is the University of Colorado at Boulder?  —  The campus hot-dog stand sells tofu wieners.  A recent pro-marijuana rally drew …