MSNBC: White House Officals Are ‘Flat Out Angry,’ Calling McClellan ‘Traitor,’ ‘Benedict’  —  When Scott McClellan resigned as Press Secretary on April 19, 2006, his White House officials colleagues heaped praise on him: … Yet news of McClellan's tell-all book seems to have soured White House officials' impression of him.

Democrats Are Advised to Seat Half of 2 States' Delegations  —  Democratic Party lawyers have determined that no more than half the delegates from Florida and Michigan can be seated at the party's August convention, dealing a blow to Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton's efforts to seat the full delegations from those states.

Clinton's Letter to Superdelegates  —  The stakes in this election are so high: with two wars abroad, our economy in crisis here at home, and so many families struggling across America, the need for new leadership has never been greater.  —  At this point, we do not yet have a nominee …

Obama Says He Is Considering Iraq Trip  —  THORNTON, Colo. - Senator Barack Obama said today that he is considering visiting American troops and commanders in Iraq this summer.  He declined an invitation from Senator John McCain to take a joint trip to Iraq, saying: “I just don't want to be involved in a political stunt.”

Keith Olbermann Blows Last Remaining Gasket  —  So while we were away, Sen. Hillary Clinton apparently made an ill-advised reference to the RFK assassination (and the June timing thereof) by way of explaining her continuing run in the Democratic primary.  And apparently Keith Olbermann had a thing or two to say about it:

The Uncle Seems Real  —  OK, Occam's Razor would indicate that Barack Obama has a maternal great uncle (i.e., his mother's mother's brother), named Charles Payne (middle initial unclear) who served with the 355th Infantry that liberated one of the camps in the Buchenwald complex, despite previous concerns on that score.

Madden removed from air by ESPN  —  Mark Madden, who made his reputation with bold, outlandish attacks on famous people, has been permanently removed from the air by ESPN.  —  His dismissal, which came down from ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Conn., came five days after he made a scurrilous remark …

John Bolton escapes citizen's arrest at Hay Festival  —  John Bolton, the former US ambassador to the United Nations, has escaped an attempted citizen's arrest as he appeared at the Hay Festival.  —  George Monbiot is held off by security guards  —  Security guards blocked the path …

Outlook  — Sen. Hillary Clinton's comment that Robert F. Kennedy's assassination in 1968 justified her staying in the presidential race was an event that crystallized the antipathy to her inside party ranks.  Even old-time Clintonites were appalled.  — The most important political impact …

Ogonowski falls short on signature deadline  —  When the deadline for certification passed yesterday, Jim Ogonowski, the Republican leadership's choice to challenge US Senator John F. Kerry, was 82 signatures short of qualifying for the GOP primary ballot, according to the state's central voter registry.

Obama's Self-Assurance Over Nomination  —  Amy Chozick reports on the presidential race from the Obama campaign plane.  —  Is the long Democratic primary finally over?  Barack Obama says it will be on Tuesday.  —  When asked by reporters if the general election begins on June 3, Obama gave a one-word answer: “Yes.”

Monkeys Control a Robot Arm With Their Thoughts  —  Two monkeys with tiny sensors in their brains have learned to control a prosthetic arm with only their thoughts, using it to reach for and grab food and even to adjust for the size and stickiness of morsels when necessary, scientists reported Wednesday.