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 …

Key Iraqi Leaders Deliver Setbacks to U.S.  —  Premier Rejects Terms of Proposed Pacts; Cleric Reactivates Militia  —  The Bush administration's Iraq policy suffered two major setbacks Friday when Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki publicly rejected key U.S. terms for an ongoing military presence …

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 …

What to Watch For in D.C. v. Heller  —  The Supreme Court's next scheduled opinion day, Monday, June 16, could yield a decision in the landmark Second Amendment case of D.C. v. Heller.  My guess is that we'll see Heller on or after June 23, at the very end of the Term.

Fox forced to apologise to Obama for third time in two weeks  —  Rupert Murdoch's Fox News television station has been forced to apologise to Barack Obama for the third time in a fortnight after screening a racially tinged caption referring to his wife Michelle as his “baby mama”.

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 …

Delegate's reversal stuns party  —  Wisconsin Democrat now publicly supports McCain  —  Washington - As an avid supporter of Hillary Rodham Clinton in the Democratic primaries, Debra Bartoshevich is not alone in her frustration over Clinton's defeat.  —  She's not alone in refusing to support Barack Obama.

ASSIGNMENT DESK: BILL RICHARDSON FOR VP?  —  Make Bill Richardson vice president, or he will kill this child.  Yeeearrgghhh!  —  Ryan asks, “Could you do an evaluation of Richardson for VP?  He seems like an obviously good choice, but there hasn't really been any discussion of him as a nominee.

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.

Obama considering world tour ahead of August convention  —  WASHINGTON — Barack Obama may depart this summer from his road-warrior tour of election-battleground states to take a trip around the world, one intended to shore up his credentials on foreign policy.