“He Was Loving This Election”  —  Back when he was just starting in television — and ever since — but particularly back then, Tim Russert was astounded by the joys of the job.  Early on, he helped arrange an interview with the Pope for the Today Show — and Tim did it up right …

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 …

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.

It's not race, it's arugula  —  The Weekly Standard's Noemie Emery disputes the media's facile, predictable racial interpretation of Obama's poor showing in Appalachia.  It's not because of race, but rather reflects a deep national divide between action-oriented Jacksonians versus clerical, paper-pushing Brahmins:

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”.

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.

Chris Matthews' Russert Eulogy: Like a Belch in Church  —  Chris Matthews' initial reaction to the death of colleague Tim Russert can be summed like this: Bush lied.  People died.  —  Yes, MSNBC's Chris Matthews found a way to use even the death of a beloved journalist …

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 …

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.

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.

Afghan official: 870 inmates escaped from prison  —  KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - U.S. and NATO troops aided Afghan forces with reconnaissance in a hunt Saturday for 870 inmates who escaped prison after a sophisticated Taliban assault that even NATO conceded was a success for the militants.

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.