MCCAIN STILL SEES THE FUNDAMENTALS OF THE ECONOMY AS STRONG.... The Obama campaign routinely tweaks John McCain for having argued that the “fundamentals of our economy are strong.”  Last week, the Washington Post's Jonathan Weisman criticized Obama for using the line, insisting that the quote is “months old.”

OBAMA TRIED TO STALL GIS' IRAQ WITHDRAWAL  —  WHILE campaigning in public for a speedy withdrawal of US troops from Iraq, Sen. Barack Obama has tried in private to persuade Iraqi leaders to delay an agreement on a draw-down of the American military presence.

Biden: Americans Want “ Sleepover With People They Like!”  —  From CBS News' Ryan Corsaro:  —  (CHARLOTTE, N.C.) - Joe Biden came up with an interesting metaphor tonight.  —  When telling the story of how his granddaughters had a slumber party with Barack Obama's daughters during the week …

Chairman Rangel  —  Mounting embarrassment for taxpayers and Congress makes it imperative that Representative Charles Rangel step aside as chairman of the Ways and Means Committee while his ethical problems are investigated.  —  This recommendation does not come easily …

McCain Loses Fox News: Megyn Kelly Rips McCain Flack For Claiming Obama Would Raise Middle Class Taxes  —  On Fox News today, host Megyn Kelly called out McCain campaign spokesman Tucker Bounds for the campaign's lies about Sen. Barack Obama's (D-IL) tax proposals.

On the stump, Obama moves past hope  —  CHICAGO — The “hopemonger” is gone.  —  Barack Obama sounds more like a man trying to shake a rain cloud these days, dispensing a teeth-clenching, I-get-your-pain stump speech in town after town that offers only snippets of the unbridled optimism that long permeated his campaign pitch.

New Obama ad: Hey, McCain's a liar  —  See Kaus for why this is “a total loser strategy,” paying particular attention to 5(b).  If, after a week of saturation coverage of Lipstickgate, you want to whine about the other guy's nastiness, it would behoove you to offer concrete examples at least (McCain's sex-ed ad, etc.).

Cheney Shielded Bush From Crisis  —  This is the second of two stories adapted from “Angler: The Cheney Vice Presidency,” to be published Tuesday by Penguin Press.  —  Vice President Cheney convened a meeting in the Situation Room at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, March 10, 2004 …

Palin's Project List Totals $453 Million  —  McCain Campaign Says Record Shows Drop in Requests  —  Last week, Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain said his running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, hadn't sought earmarks or special-interest spending from Congress, presenting her as a fiscal conservative.