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.

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.

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 …

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 …

Election 2008: New Hampshire Presidential Election  —  New Hampshire: Obama 48% McCain 43%  —  The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey in New Hampshire shows Barack Obama with 48% while John McCain earns support from 43%.  —  That's quite a turnaround from a month ago when Obama trailed the Republican hopeful by ten points.

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.

Obama's talk with The Palm Beach Post  —  BOCA RATON — Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama spent time with The Palm Beach Post this morning, talking about the impact of the Florida's primary on his race with Hillary Clinton, whether to seat the state's convention delegates and what a national catastrophe fund should look like.

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 |

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.

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.

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 …

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 …

HILLARY RAISES ASSASSINATION ISSUE  —  DEFENDS LONG-RUNNING CAMPAIGN  —  Hillary Clinton today brought up the assassination of Sen. Robert Kennedy while defending her decision to stay in the race against Barack Obama.  —  “My husband did not wrap up the nomination in 1992 until he won …