FORMAL TALKS?  —  CNN is reporting this morning that the Obama and Clinton campaigns are in formal talks about ending her quest for the Democratic nomination and possibly giving her the VP slot.  —  These apparent talks are described by CNN as being in a “very preliminary” stage and as “difficult.”

Why I Will No Longer Support John McCain For President  —  I've never been a fan of John McCain.  Not only is he not a conservative, he may have done more damage to the conservative movement than any other Republican over the last few years.  Look back at the Gang-of-14, global warming …

Bad day for John McCain, Part II: anger management  —  When a candidate has well-known anger-management issues, he really needs to be careful about the tone of his statements.  —  Today, John McCain was one of only three Senators who failed to show up for the debate and vote on Sen. Jim Webb's improved GI Bill.

In most inclusive count, Clinton has the numbers  —  Lost in the excitement of Barack Obama's coronation this week was an inconvenient fact of Tuesday's results: Hillary Clinton netted approximately 150,000 votes and is now poised to finish the primary season as the popular-vote leader.

Liberal Pundits Offer Unprecedented Apology  —  Alternate Universe Washington, DC (AUP)—An influential group of liberal pundits and political commentators has formed a new organization to apologize for their columns on Ned Lamont's 2006 challenge to Joe Lieberman (R - Forallintentsandpurposes) and to call for their own resignations.

McCain appears cancer-free, healthy  —  FOUNTAIN HILLS, Ariz. - Three-time melanoma survivor John McCain appears cancer-free, has a strong heart and is in otherwise general good health, according to eight years of medical records reviewed by The Associated Press.

Republicans and Our Enemies  —  On Wednesday, Joe Lieberman wrote on this page that the Democratic Party he and I grew up in has drifted far from the foreign policy espoused by Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman and John Kennedy.  —  In fact, it is the policies that President George W. Bush has pursued …

And Paul Begala for Vice President?  —  “Tucker Carlson for president?”  That's the headline at the personal blog for Brendan Nyhan, a former Spinsanity editor who is now a graduate student in political science at Duke.  Nyhan says that Carlson, the former “Crossfire” host and former writer …

Congressman admits Democrats “stretched the facts,” misled anti-war supporters about supposed plans for ending War  —  Congressman Paul Kanjorski (D-PA) has been a fairly undistinguished member of the House of Representatives for nearly a quarter of a century.

Mainstreaming Terrorism to Sell Donuts  —  I didn't believe this story when people first started emailing about it; but sure enough, its true.  Dunkin Donuts, the venerable old fried dough seller, is the latest American firm to casually promote the symbol of Palestinian terrorism and the intifada …

More Than 100 Post Journalists Take Buyout  —  More than 100 Washington Post reporters, editors, photographers, artists and other journalists will take early retirement packages offered by the company as a way to cut costs, reducing the newsroom staff by at least 10 percent.

In 2000, McCain admits he'd be too old to run in 2008  —  As McCain gets ready to release his medical records in a very limited fashion today, I've come across a clip back on 08/01/2000.  He's being interviewed by Jim Lehrer on News Hour and admits that he'd be too old to run in 2008.  —  Download |

MCCAIN'S FANTASY WAR ON EARMARKS  —  PORTLAND, OR, MAY 12, 2008. … JOHN MCCAIN BOASTS THAT HE CAN SAVE $100 BILLION A YEAR “IMMEDIATELY” BY ELIMINATING THE SO-CALLED EARMARKS THAT LEGISLATORS ATTACH TO SPENDING BILLS TO FINANCE PET PROJECTS, USUALLY IN THEIR HOME STATE.

In Iraq, a Surge in U.S. Airstrikes  —  Military Says Attacks Save Troops' Lives, but Civilian Casualties Elicit Criticism  —  CAMP TAJI, Iraq — From an Apache helicopter, Capt. Ben Katzenberger's battlefield resembles a vast mosaic of tiny brown boxes.  —  “The city looks like a bucket …

The Alpha Geeks  —  In 1950, Dr. Seuss published a book called “If I Ran the Zoo.”  It contained the sentence: “I'll sail to Ka-Troo, and bring back an IT-KUTCH, a PREEP, and a PROO, a NERKLE, a NERD, and a SEERSUCKER, too!”  According to the psychologist David Anderegg …