On the Trail:

* Obama Narrows Clinton Lead in Superdelegates - CNN

* McCain Likely to be Outspent in Election - MSNBC

* Why Florida and Michigan Don't Matter - Newsweek

* Some Still Dissing McCain at Polls - Yahoo

News:

* 'A Lot' Pose Threat if Freed from Gitmo - The Washington Times

* Witchcraft Spells to be Cast at Anti-Marine Rally in Berkeley, CA - Fox News

* U.N. 'Furious' as Myanmar Aid Seized - CNN

* Republicans Call for Halt on Ethanol Mandate - OneNewsNow

Opinion:

* Lopez: Mitt Romney Revisits Faith in America - National Review Online 

* Gaynor: Will Team Clinton Play the Kenya Card? - Conservative Voice Opinion

Suddenly the guy who wants the "new" kind of politics...they guy who the mainstream media tells us is "post partisan"...has decided to play, well, politics.  In this case, it's his subtle attempt to play the "age card" in his soon-to-be campaign against John McCain.

Sen. Barack Obama yesterday accused presumptive Republican nominee Sen. John McCain of "losing his bearings," prompting the Arizona senator's campaign to say the younger man was attacking Mr. McCain's age.

Mr. Obama was asked in an appearance on CNN to respond to Mr. McCain's saying on the campaign trail that Hamas favors the Democrat for president.

"This is offensive and I think it's disappointing, because John McCain always says, well, I'm not going to run that kind of politics," Mr. Obama said yesterday, adding that "that kind of smear I think is unfortunate, particularly since my policy toward Hamas has been no different than his.

"For him to toss out comments like that I think is an example of him losing his bearings as he pursues this nomination. We don't need name-calling in this debate."

Pay no mind to the fact that the good folks over at Hamas have indeed said Obama is their favorite among the current candidates for President.

Hamas' top political adviser, Ahmed Yousef, embraced the Obama campaign Sunday in an interview on WABC radio, saying, "We like Mr. Obama. We hope he will [win] the election."

He compared the Illinois senator to President John F. Kennedy, saying he was a "great man with great principle, and he has a vision to change America to make it in a position to lead the world community but not with domination and arrogance."

Could it be because they know Barry went to a church which reprinted a copy of their manifesto on their website??

So, as far as this goes, it seems McCain's bearings are just fine.

The numbers do not lie.  Hillary Clinton's hopes for winning the majority of the pledged delegates is now a virtual impossibility.  Much to the dismay of many conservatives, including myself, she did not perform quite well enough on Tuesday to keep the nomination in doubt.

But, that may turn out to be for the best... The hand of the Clinton political machine may now be forced.

All indications show that she is going to press on and wage battle to the bitter end... and 'bitter' is exactly how things may become!  If Barack thought he was familiar with that particular emotion before, he may just find out how truly bitter things may get.

As Politico reported Thursday evening, Sen. Clinton spent a part of the week campaigning behind the scenes for private commitments from some superdelegates that remain undecided.

Going all the way back to Super Tuesday, it started becoming clear that the path to a nomination for her was going to have to occur at the expense of the pledged delegate majority - the votes earned by Obama.  One could theorize her efforts to gauge her possible superdelegate support could be as a means to see if there is salvageable, mathematical hope from the superdelegate count, if something dramatic was to transpire regarding Obama.

With regards to how the pledged delegates are stacking up in this race, Clinton is likely to do well over the upcoming weeks in the West Virginia, Kentucky, and Puerto Rico primaries - Puerto Rico having the highest delegate count remaining.  The spin will be that the momentum is with her and has been since before Pennsylvania.  

Never discount just how much weight the liberals of the Democrat Party put behind perceptions and emotions.  This, of course, coming at the expense of the rational, analytical reality - the raw votes gained throughout the entirety of the democratic nomination process.  Its doubtful anyone knows the Democratic Party membership, and their collective thought process, better than the Clintons.

Tossed into all of this calculating (and not many would argue that word applies anytime a Clinton is mentioned) is a wildcard - the whispers of some dirt out there regarding Obama.  If this is so, the Clintons would certainly be privy to this information.  Instead of the 'October Surprise' we are all familiar with, we could witness a 'May Surprise'.

Would it not be the duty of such a party devotee, as is Hillary Clinton, to spare the party an inevitable loss in November, following the Republicans releasing any information on Obama... at which point its too late? 

If the Clinton campaign decides to remain in this fight with the intentions to actually win, and it is determined the superdelegate math could work by manipulating the very Democratic Party membership she would be courting, the 10 days between the May 20th Kentucky and Oregon primaries and the Puerto Rico primary on June 1st, could see some very interesting politics.  And maybe some very interesting revelations, as well.

We shall see!  Just some thoughts.

Normally, these types spend so much time avoiding the truth that it's kind of entertaining when they swerve into it.  That's what Paul Begala did on CNN when talking about the coalition of Obama supporters.

BEGALA: We cannot win with egg heads.

Let me finish my point.

We cannot win with egg heads and African-Americans. OK, that is the Dukakis Coalition, which carried ten states and gave us four years of the first George Bush.

President Clinton — reached across to get a whole lot of Republicans and Independents to come. I think Senator Obama and Senator Clinton both have that capacity. They both have a unique ability –well it’s not unique if they both have it. They both have a remarkable ability to reach out to those working-class white folks and Latinos. Senator Clinton has proven it; Barack has not yet, but he can. And I certainly hope he is not shutting the door on expanding the party.

Well, he's at least right about Obama's support resembling that of Dukakis.  Blacks and effete liberals.  Here's hoping it renders the same result in the fall.

* More: Michelle Malkin

On the Trail:

* NYT: Clinton Era May Be Coming to an End - MSNBC

* McCain Vows to 'Fight Evil' if President - CNN 

* Michigan Dems Settle on Delegate-Seating Plan - MSNBC

* Clinton Campaign Presses on with Visits to Three States Today - Yahoo

* Superdelegates Await Clinton's Next Move - CNN

* Obama Picks Up Superdelegates; Undecideds Moving His Way - Cybercast News

* A Train Wreck is Coming May 20th - Yahoo

News:

* Treasury Secretary Paulson Says Credit Crisis May Be Fading - Cybercast News

* Bomber in Iraq Tied to Gitmo - The Washington Times

* 'Blue Dogs' Force Delay of War Bill - CQ Politics

* Iran: U.S., Great Britain Aided Mosque Bombers - CNN

Opinion:

* Editors: Condi, George Marshall and Israel - The Washington Times 

* Shapiro: Barack Obama is a Loser - Conservative Voice Opinion

On the Trail:

* Clinton Fails to Get Needed Game-Changer - OneNewsNow

* Obama Deemed Unstoppable, Clinton Won't Quit - Cybercast News

* Clinton Lends Her Struggling Campaign $6.4 Million - Yahoo

* Options Dwindling For Clinton - MSNBC

* Clinton Adds West Virginia to Campaign Stops - CNN

* Deep Fissures Among Democrats Apparent With Indiana, NC Voters - The Washington Post

News:

* Iraq Readies Arms Against Iran - The Washington Times

* Barney Frank Will Move to Defund War Under Democrat President - Cybercast News

* U.S. Aims to Unlink Islamic, Terrorism - The Washington Times

* Russia Swears in New President - CNN

Opinion:

* Malkin: Barrack Obama's Bitter Half - Cybercast News

* Coffin: Trust But Verify - National Review Online

Obama just can't seem to shake the Rev. Wright.  This from the Washington Times:

Most Americans say Sen. Barack Obama has failed to distance himself from his former pastor"s incendiary remarks, the new Fox 5/The Washington Times/Rasmussen Reports poll finds.

In the poll, 66 percent said the Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr. hurt Mr. Obama and an overwhelming majority said Mr. Obama's repudiation of his former pastor did not rescue his presidential campaign.

Only 24 percent said Mr. Obama's denunciation made them "more likely" to support the senator's presidential campaign, compared with 27 percent who said they were "less likely" and 43 percent who said his explanation had "no impact" on their decision.

Today's the day we'll see how much it still impacts him at the ballot box with white, middle-class voters...especially in North Carolina.

On the Trail:

* McCain Slams Obama for Vote Against Justice - USA Today

* McCain Criticizes Obama on National Security - Yahoo

* Clinton Campaign Retools Delegate Math - The Washington Times

* Two Contests, One Big Day - Fox News

* Indiana, North Carolina Voters Settling Largest Remaining Contests - Yahoo 

* Indiana, North Carolina - The Final Round? - CNN

News:

* Russia, U.S. Sign Key Agreement on Nuclear Cooperation - Fox News

* House to Vote on Iraq Funds This Week - MSNBC

* 3,500 Troops Heading Home from Iraq - CNN

* Watchdogs See Waste in Farm-Bill Reform - The Washington Times

Opinion:

* Bowyer: Contra the Recessionistas - National Review Online 

* Pruden: A Patron Saint for George W - The Washington Times

On the Trail:

* Clinton, Obama Predict Fight Stretches to June - Yahoo

* Obama, Clinton Battle over Iran, Gas Tax - MSNBC

* GOP Gleeful at Obama Rocky Period - Yahoo

* Democrat Party Chief Accuses GOP of 'Race Baiting' - CyberCast News

* Dems Lose Footing for Races in November - The Washington Times

News:

* Iran Suspends Talks with U.S. Over Security in Iraq - Fox News 

* China Asked to Recognize Religious Rights - OneNewsNow

* Hamas Has Hindered Palestinian Statehood, Israeli President Says - Cybercast News

Opinion:

* Lopez: The Governor is Right - National Review Online

* Murdock: Is Global Cooling Next? - Human Events

Have you ever had one of those mornings where you looked all over the place for your car keys, but for the life of you, they were nowhere to be found?  Then, finally, you stick your hand in your front pocket, only to feel embarrassingly foolish?

Well, alongside the sense of shame and guilt, embarrassment is exactly what the U.N. should be feeling right now, with the release of this news.

Just weeks before it announced the onset of a global food crisis and the urgent need for donors to provide at least $775 million in additional funding, the World Food Program was sitting on a cash and near-cash stockpile of more than $1.22 billion.

The startling figure is contained in the latest audited statements of the WFP, which were endorsed by the WFP’s executive director, Josette Sheeran, on March 31, just a month before Sheeran announced at an international aid conference on April 22 that a "silent tsunami" in rising food prices demanded the huge infusion of cash for the WFP’s latest budget.

In a May 1 International Herald Tribune op-ed, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon further declared that the WFP had just "$18 million cash in hand" in the wake of its appeal for emergency funding.

The United Nations once again proves itself to be the quintessential example of bureaucratic black holes.  McCain's (and Krauthammer's) League of Democracies idea cannot get here soon enough, as far as I'm concerned.