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- Brushing off charges that his VP vetter Jim Johnson might be tied to some shady mortgage deals, Barack Obama observed that such a level of scrutiny would lead to an endless cycle of hiring "vetter(s) to vet the vetters." This hasn't stopped the GOP or the McCain campaign from hammering the issue, however.
- Concerning the veepstakes, E.J. Dionne suggests giving Joe Biden a second look in today's column, while First Read floats the unfamiliar retired general James Jones. Meanwhile, Sam Stein runs down the case for Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius.
- Anticipating the negative campaign, Barack Obama has set up a web team to handle internet-based smears.
- Chris Cillizza takes a detailed look at the "Bradley Effect," and whether current polling accurately shows the impact of race in the presidential election.
- The Obama camp confirms that it will pursue a 50-state strategy.
- Hillary Clinton has asked her pledged delegates to support Obama at the party's August convention in Denver. The New York Times reports on Clinton's record campaign debt, and the fact that there's little the former candidate will be able to do about it in the short term. Finally, Obama campaign strategist David Axelrod tells reporters that he expects that the Clintons will campaign for Obama, but understands that they need a little time off first.
- Only a fraction of top Bush donors are contributing to McCain.
- Both Dana and the Politico's Jonathan Martin observe that McCain's Jimmy Carter comparison is unlikely to ring true with voters under 40. Perhaps McCain should have stuck with William Jennings Bryan.
- Nevada Republicans are concerned that the Governor Jim Gibbon's high-profile divorce could have a negative effect on the McCain campaign, especially considering the Silver State's status as a swing state this year.
- Sweet justice: Fox News hack E.D. Hill loses her show, "America's Pulse," after her "terrorist fist jab" comments last week. Guess she didn't have her finger on the pulse after all...
- And finally, Ron Paul is planning on holding his own convention in Minneapolis during the G.O.P.'s convention in St. Paul.
--Mori Dinauer
