More on the Obama-Clinton Meeting  —  Senator Dianne Feinstein of California got the call from Hillary Rodham Clinton Thursday afternoon: Could she, would she let Mrs. Clinton use her home in Northwest Washington for a little sit-down with a certain senator from Illinois …

McCain bumbles the delivery  —  NEW ORLEANS - As Democrats buzzed this week about their new de facto nominee, his historic candidacy and the unlikely political demise of Hillary Rodham Clinton, Republican circles were humming with another topic.  —  The topic: Is there a way John McCain …

For Obama, a Ticket Test  —  WASHINGTON — An axiom.  When voters watch a presumptive presidential nominee considering this or that running mate, they think: What if the president dies?  When the presumptive nominee considers this or that running mate, he thinks: What if I live?

Adviser Says McCain Backs Bush Wiretaps  —  WASHINGTON — A top adviser to Senator John McCain says Mr. McCain believes that President Bush's program of wiretapping without warrants was lawful, a position that appears to bring him into closer alignment with the sweeping theories …

Unemployment rate jumps to 5.5 percent in May  —  WASHINGTON - The nation's unemployment rate jumped to 5.5 percent in May — the biggest monthly rise since 1986 — as nervous employers cut 49,000 jobs.  —  The latest snapshot of business conditions showed a deeply troubled economy …

McCain says he won't run from Bush in campaign  —  FORT LAUDERDALE — Republican John McCain said he won't try to “separate” himself from a weakened President Bush or his unpopular handling of the war in Iraq to try to win the general election against Barack Obama, who has made opposition to the war a focus of the Democratic campaign.

Did Obama Backtrack On Jerusalem?  —  Barack Obama on Wednesday: … Obama on Thursday, after Mahmoud Abbas complained and his chief negotiator said Obama “has closed all doors to peace”: … The press writes that Obama backtracked; Obama's campaign does not concede the point

Vote by Numbers  —  IT appears that Hillary Clinton is going to suspend her presidential campaign this weekend, at the urging of Democratic Party leaders and superdelegates.  Before that happens, Mrs. Clinton and the superdelegates might want to know this: if the general election were held today …

HamNation: Obama on Your Shoulder  —  Mary Katharine Ham, with the help of her favorite songwriter, explores life under the new rules and politics of an Obama administration that's in all your business.  —  Your Name:  —  Your Email:

It's Time for Another Obama Race Speech  —  Now what?  How does Barack Obama, fresh from claiming the Democratic nomination, put Rev. Jeremiah Wright and Father Michael Pfleger behind him, before they ignite yet again and blow up his general election campaign?

What Clinton is telling — and hinting to — her disappointed supporters  —  Tonight on his show, Jay Leno will open his monologue with a sports joke.  He congratulates the Detroit Red Wings on winning the NHL championship Wednesday night and says the vanquished Pittsburgh Penguins announced today …

Why Obama's Afraid of Town-Hall Debates  —  Barack Obama was thrown off guard by John McCain's proposal for them to appear together at 10 town hall meetings this summer before the party conventions.  Or maybe his initial response was merely disingenuous.  —  Obama has insisted for months …