Sunday TV, one hot rivalry fuels another

another rivalry will play out when Mr. Obama and Mrs. Clinton sit for competing hourlong interviews on Sunday morning. It is the one between their interviewers, Tim Russert of NBC News, who had scored a coup by having Mr. Obama sit down with him on “Meet the Press” two days before the Indiana and North Carolina primaries, and George Stephanopoulos of ABC News, who announced on Thursday that he would interview Mrs. Clinton on “This Week” about the same time.

Republicans crossing over to vote in Democratic contests

Since the start of the primary and caucus season in January, Republican voters have been crossing over in increasing numbers to vote in Democratic contests — supplying up to 10 percent of the vote in states that allow such crossover voting — and they are expected to play a pivotal role in the fiercely contested primary in Indiana. What is less clear, however, is the motivation for their behavior: are they genuinely attracted by the two Democratic candidates? Or are they mischief-making spoilers, looking to prolong a divisive Democratic fight or support a candidate Mr. McCain can beat in November?

DNC coffers dry amid flood of Dem cash

Despite record hauls by Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton, the DNC has raised less than half the amount taken in by the Republican National Committee.

According to the latest Federal Election Commission reports filed through the end of March, the RNC had $31 million in cash on hand while the DNC had only $5.3 million. The RNC has raised $36.5 million this year while the DNC has raised $17.7 million.

McCain blames bridge collapse on earmarks - then backs off

This week, McCain blamed earmarks for the deadly 2007 collapse of a Minnesota bridge. According to the Associated Press, he told reporters that the bridge "collapsed because so much money was spent on wasteful, unnecessary pork-barrel projects."

... According to AP, McCain backtracked somewhat Thursday, stating that he couldn't be sure if redirected spending would have prevented the tragedy. "Do I know specifically whether it would have replaced that bridge in Minneapolis? No, but I know that funding would have been available for higher-priority projects," he said.

McCain swings outreach to right

After courting traditionally Democratic voters, Republican John McCain will tend to his conservative roots for a new round of voter outreach.

The presumptive Republican presidential nominee has scheduled speeches on judges and gun rights — two issues that have fueled the success of conservative candidates going back to Ronald Reagan...

McCain's 'Mission accomplished' misstep

"To state the obvious, I thought it was wrong at the time," said McCain. "I thought phrases like 'a few dead-enders,' 'last throes,' all of those comments contributed over time to the frustration and sorrow of Americans because those statements and comments did not comport with the facts on the ground."

The veracity of McCain's claim about how he felt regarding the banner, which appeared behind President Bush on the deck of the USS Lincoln on May 1, 2003, was challenged Thursday when the Democratic National Committee unearthed video of McCain talking approvingly of the banner in a June 11, 2003 Fox News interview.