Obama's Answer on the Johnson Conundrum  —  ABC News' Sunlen Miller today asked Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, how he could “rail against Countrywide Financial Corp as an example of insiders and today's economy while your VP search is headed by someone who got questionable loans from Countrywide?”

U.S. seeking 58 bases in Iraq, Shiite lawmakers say  —  BAGHDAD -Iraqi lawmakers say the United States is demanding 58 bases as part of a proposed “status of forces” agreement that will allow U.S. troops to remain in the country indefinitely.  —  Leading members of the two ruling Shiite parties …

Obama could raise $100 million in June, fundraisers say  —  Leading Democratic fundraisers predict that Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) will raise hundreds of millions of dollars over the next few months if he opts out of public financing and begins raising money for the general election.

Jewish Whispering Campaign  —  Newsweek has a piece this week on Barack Obama — titled “His Jewish Problem: A Myth?”  — that is an absolutely Herculean feat of water-carrying for the Illinois senator.  But before tackling the factual problems, the article's biggest problem needs to be addressed …

Why Is Bush Helping Saudi Arabia Build Nukes?  —  Here's a quick geopolitical quiz: What country is three times the size of Texas and has more than 300 days of blazing sun a year?  What country has the world's largest oil reserves resting below miles upon miles of sand?

McCain: ‘I will veto every single beer’  —  (CNN) - John McCain issued a promise Tuesday that may cause a bit of unrest with a broad swath of voters:  —  He'll veto every single beer?  —  In a slip of the tongue while railing against excessive earmarks at the National Small Business Summit in Washington …

Justice Department Official Awards $500,000 Grant to Golf Group  —  Former Staffer Tells ABC News Anti-Crime Funds Given to Programs With The “Right” Connections.  —  A senior Justice Department official says a $500,000 federal grant to the World Golf Foundation is an appropriate use …

BARACK'S BITE  —  WE'RE in for taxing times if Barack Obama wins the White House, says CNBC's Maria Bartiromo.  “He's going to take the capital gains tax at 15 percent right now all the way up to 25 to 28 percent,” the “Money Honey” tells Avenue.  “Sell anything, like a home or stocks, and make a profit . . .

Barack gets dressing down for dorkiness  —  Barack Obama ditched the campaign trail for the bike trail last weekend, offering onlookers a rare peek into the Democratic nominee's casual-wear closet.  —  It wasn't a pretty picture: ill-fitting jeans, a tucked-in golf shirt …

CNN works to keep its political winning streak going  —  The presidential primary race has pushed the news network's audience numbers up.  Now it wants to keep the momentum going.  —  NEW YORK — Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama aren't the only ones courting swing voters as the 2008 campaign shifts into its next phase.

Something Just Clicked  —  An Obama Delegate's Road to Politics Began With an Online Donation  —  SACRAMENTO It all started last summer with a $10 online donation — her very first political contribution.  —  With another click of the mouse, 52-year-old Linnie Frank Bailey, a political neophyte, morphed into a campaign volunteer.

Clinton Asks Pledged Delegates To Support Obama  —  Multiple Democratic sources say that Sen. Hillary Clinton, in a series of private conversations and conference calls, continues to urge her pledged delegates to vote for Barack Obama at the Democratic National Convention.