Pity Party  —  Big picture, May 2008:  —  The Democrats aren't the ones falling apart, the Republicans are.  The Democrats can see daylight ahead.  For all their fractious fighting, they're finally resolving their central drama.  Hillary Clinton will leave, and Barack Obama will deliver a stirring acceptance speech.

Hypocrisy on Hamas  —  McCain Was for Talking Before He Was Against It  —  If the recent exchanges between President Bush, Barack Obama and John McCain on Hamas and terrorism are a preview of the general election, we are in for an ugly six months.  Despite his reputation in the media …

Gay marriage back as a campaign issue  —  Yesterday's California Supreme Court decision striking down a voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage reintroduces a hot-button social issue into the presidential campaign.  —  Republicans used same-sex marriage to great political effect in 2004 …

Perfect timing: Obama's super show-stoppers  —  With her deep party ties, New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton was supposed to own the superdelegate primary.  —  But in the last two months, it's been the rookie, Democratic rival Barack Obama, who has maximized his superdelegate moments.

TOO HARD A BALL  —  Right-Wing Radio yakker crashes and burns like the Hindenburg while trying to talk about appeasement ...

McCain widens dialogue on blogs  —  Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign is trying to tap a new audience of potential voters by taking his campaign message straight to liberal and nonpolitical issues-based blogs, which reach millions of readers but don't often delve into conservative politics.

McCain adviser ousted in conflict uproar  —  John McCain's campaign asked a prominent Republican consultant, Craig Shirley, to leave his official campaign role Thursday after a Politico inquiry about Shirley's dual role consulting for the campaign and for an independent “527” group opposing the Democratic presidential candidates.

SO IF THE REPUBLICANS ARE IN TROUBLE, WHY ARE THESE PEOPLE SO HAPPY?  I'm at the NRA Convention in Louisville, Kentucky.  I haven't been to a big gun event in probably a decade, and the change in mood is striking: People are, well . . . not ebullient, really, but noticeably cheerful and confident.

Obama's sniper tale?  When he stood up to Detroit's ‘cold’ shoulder  —  Is this another Bosnian sniper incident, where a Democratic candidate for president describes a scene involving some personal courage, but later videotape shows that maybe perhaps it wasn't really quite all like that exactly?

Group finds Starbucks logo too hot to handle  —  A Christian group based in San Diego found grounds for outrage over the new retro-style logo.  —  Seems that one person's smut is another person's morning latte.  —  A Christian group based in San Diego found grounds for outrage over the new retro-style logo for Starbucks Coffee.

Mom indicted in deadly MySpace hoax  —  LOS ANGELES, California (AP) — A Missouri woman was indicted Thursday for her alleged role in perpetrating a hoax on the online social network MySpace against a 13-year-old neighbor who committed suicide.  —  Lori Drew, of suburban St. Louis …

What Went Wrong?  —  The exclusive story of Hillary's fall, as told by the high-level advisors, staffers, fundraisers, and on-the-ground organizers who lived it.  —  Endings are rarely as joyous as beginnings—and in the case of a long, wearing, and ultimately disappointing campaign, they can be downright brutal.

Should Obama Clarify Comments on Detroit Speech?  —  Sen. Barack Obama may have to retract a claim he made at the Jefferson-Jackson Dinner in Indianapolis on May 8.  —  In the 30-minute speech, Obama discussed the usual “challenges facing people across Indiana and all across this country …