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 …

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.

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 …

Prager H1: Big Victory for Terrorists and Liberals  —  Prager H1: The Supreme Court has granted the right of habeas corpus to captured terrorists.  This is a new right created out of whole cloth by the liberal members of the court... Dennis reflects on the tragedy of the death …

Justices Come Under Election-Year Spotlight  —  WASHINGTON — Thanks in no small part to Justice Antonin Scalia's dire warning that granting Guantánamo detainees access to habeas corpus “will almost certainly cause more Americans to be killed,” the Supreme Court finds itself on the verge …

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 …

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 …

Candidates disagree on joint town hall meetings  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain squabbled over a format for their first one-on-one debate in the U.S. presidential race, as both pushed their economic plans amid fresh reports of surging inflation and sagging wages.

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 …

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 …