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.

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 …

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 …

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 …

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.

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 …

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 …

HOW THE IRISH SAVED CIVILIZATION, AGAIN The Irish Times reports that the Lisbon Treaty has been defeated in a referendum held in the Republic of Ireland.  The Lisbon Treaty is a new version of the proposed EU Constitution, which had previously been rejected by the voters of the France and the Netherlands.

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.

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.

McCain Cancels Event with Controversial Fundraiser  —  ABC's Rick Klein reports: Sen. John McCain on Friday abruptly cancelled a Monday fundraiser that had been scheduled at the home of a Texas oilman, after ABC News contacted the campaign inquiring about a verbal blunder the Texan made during …