GOP strategists mull McCain ‘blowout’  —  It sounds crazy at first.  Amid dire reports about the toxic political environment for Republican candidates and the challenges facing John McCain, many top GOP strategists believe he can defeat Barack Obama — and by a margin exceeding President Bush's Electoral College victory in 2004.

Hillary Clinton's colossal blunder simply the last straw  —  SICK.  Disgusting.  And yet revealing.  Hillary Clinton is staying in the race in the event some nut kills Barack Obama.  —  It could happen, but what definitely has happened is that Clinton has killed her own chances of being vice president.

KLEIN PLAYS THE FOOL!  Joe Klein hacked on your side this week.  Josh Marshall praised him for it:  —  IN PRAISE OF VAGUE DREAM-HEADS: This morning, we went to scope a tree house (complete with hanging bridge to the regular house!) constructed by a guy at the bagel joint for his (roughly) eight-year-old daughter.

Puerto Rico Gets Its Moment in the Sun (the Political One) as Primary Nears  —  SAN JUAN, P.R. — Puerto Rico traditionally complains of being ignored by the rest of the United States, but that has just changed, if only for the moment.  With a Democratic presidential primary to be held here on June 1 …

A FALSE, FALSE SENSE OF NATIONAL SECURITY SECURITY....When you say that your plan is to lull your enemy into a false sense of security, that usually means that you know you're going to lose.  Kind of like the Democrats on national security issues for the early part of this decade …

The Wisdom In Talking  —  As President Bush commemorated Israel's 60th anniversary by attacking Barack Obama from overseas, here at home he found an all-too-frequent ally: John McCain.  —  When Bush accused “some” — including Obama, Bush aides explained — of “the false comfort of appeasement,” McCain echoed this slander.

How telecoms are attempting to buy amnesty from Congress  —  (updated below)  —  One of the benefits from the protracted battle over telecom amnesty is that it is a perfect microcosm for how our government institutions work.  And a casual review of the available evidence regarding …

Cable Prices Keep Rising, and Customers Keep Paying  —  Americans discouraged by higher gas prices and airline fares may decide to spend more vacation time at home, perhaps watching television.  —  But that, too, will cost them more than ever.  —  Cable prices have risen 77 percent since 1996 …

‘Nothing but Misogynists’  —  Hillary Clinton is now complaining that her candidacy has been harmed by sexism.  Interviewed earlier this week by the Washington Post, Sen. Clinton said the polls show that “more people would be reluctant to vote for a woman [than] to vote for an African American.”

Rush on Goldberg  —  A reader sent me this, I assume it's good-faith accurate: … Me: A few quick points.  Just for the record, I do not see eye-to-eye with Brooks or Frum on all sorts of things about the current state of conservatism.  As for Bill, I'm just not sure where he comes down on various issues.

Bush scales back McCain events  —  President Bush is scaling back next week's fundraising swings for Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) at the request of the campaign, which wants the events closed to the press, POLITICO has learned.  —  The change — in both Arizona and Utah …

Gaffe-Prone Obama: 'Thank you everybody.  It's good to be in Sunshine!'  —  How many gaffes can a politician get away with?  —  Obviously none if you're a Republican.  —  But Barack Obama can pretty much say anything and the media brushes it off.  —  Aren't double standards wonderful?