Let's Get Something Straight  —  I liked Tim Russert, even though I thought his BS gotcha nonsense was thorough idiocy and not helping the debate at all.  He was a likable guy- friendly, always smiling.  I understand it is a loss for the beltway folks, and he had a lot of really good friends …

Giuliani Plans to Aid Hopefuls, for His Share  —  WASHINGTON — With the Republican Party in need of money for the November elections, former Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani has offered to appear at fund-raisers around the country for G.O.P. candidates.  But there is a catch: He wants some cash out of the deal.

McCain Cancels Fundraiser with Oilman Who Joked About Rape  —  Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) Friday suddenly cancelled an upcoming fundraiser at the home of a Texas Republican after media outlets began asking the campaign about comments the host made while running for governor in 1990.

NYT: McCains owed $225,000 in credit card debt  —  Senate disclosure statements give look at candidates' personal finances  —  Senators John McCain and Barack Obama released their Senate financial disclosure statements on Friday, revealing that Mr. McCain and his wife had at least $225,000 …

It's Not Race, It's Arugula  —  Obama's real electoral challenge.  —  On the way to his rendezvous with destiny, Barack Obama consistently lost white voters, especially of the middle and working classes, to Hillary Clinton—voters variously known as Appalachians or Reagan Democrats …

Court Deems Campaign Finance Rules Too Weak  —  The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled yesterday that the Federal Election Commission has failed to adequately enforce key aspects of the McCain-Feingold campaign finance restructuring that Congress passed six years ago …

Obama vs. The New Rochelle Train  —  David Mendell's Obama: From Promise to Power, p. 148-149: … Obviously, if Barack Obama were satisfied with an office job, not only would he have not spent three years as a community organizer, he probably wouldn't have ever run for office.

John Coleman's Comments Before the San Diego Chamber of Commerce  —  Global Warming and the Price of a Gallon of Gas  —  You may want to give credit where credit is due to Al Gore and his global warming campaign the next time you fill your car with gasoline, because there is a direct …

Senators Caught in Mortgage Fallout  —  When Senator Kent Conrad of North Dakota wanted a mortgage for his beach house, he turned to a Washington insider, James A. Johnson, former head of Fannie Mae, the government mortgage giant, who then put the senator in touch with Angelo Mozilo …

SAD NEWS.  —  The wires are reporting that Tim Russert died from a heart attack today.  He was 58.  —  I had a weird experience a few months ago where a Twitter message I thought private was accessed by someone outside my circle and leaked to Wonkette.  The message was written during …

Election 2008: Minnesota Presidential Election  —  Minnesota: Obama Continues to Dominate  —  The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey in Minnesota the state shows that Barack Obama leads McCain by double-digits, 52% to 39%.  That's the third straight month with virtually identical poll results.

Justice 5, Brutality 4  —  For years, with the help of compliant Republicans and frightened Democrats in Congress, President Bush has denied the protections of justice, democracy and plain human decency to the hundreds of men that he decided to label “unlawful enemy combatants” and throw into never-ending detention.

AT&T: termination fees ultimately a great deal for consumers  —  Those early termination fees (ETFs) that consumers pay for switching cell phones in mid-contract are a great deal, an attorney for AT&T told the Federal Communications Commission yesterday.  “ETF-backed term contracts give customers …