The Last Lecture

Hillary Who?

Obama turns his attention to John McCain.

LA Times: “Confident that he has built a near-impregnable lead, his campaign aides said Wednesday that Obama would begin shifting his focus toward the general election.”

Politico: Obama intends to start gearing his travel schedule toward general election states.

Which might be a good idea, because the Republicans have already started to focus on him.

Plus: Former Edwards manager and ex-Michigan Rep. David Bonior endorses Obama Thursday.

Throwing in the Towel

Lots of Clinton backers and undecideds are talking on the record. “‘The air is completely let out of them,’ said first-term Rep. Jason Altmire of Pennsylvania, who is uncommitted to either candidate, referring to the Clinton supporters among his congressional colleagues. ‘They are resigned to the fact that it's probably not going to work out.’”

Sen. Chuck Schumer, per the New York Post: "It's her decision to make and I'll accept what decision she makes," he said.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein told The Hill: "I, as you know, have great fondness and great respect for Sen. Clinton and I'm very loyal to her," Feinstein said. "Having said that, I'd like to talk with her and [get] her view on the rest of the race and what the strategy is. I think the race is reaching the point now where there are negative dividends from it, in terms of strife within the party."

The Los Angeles Times: “‘It's a tough race,’ said Don Fowler, a former national Democratic Party chairman and Clinton superdelegate from South Carolina. ‘If things had been a little better in North Carolina, we would be stronger than we are today. But the game's not over till it's over.’”

“‘She has to look realistically at the vote [Tuesday] and decide what's best for her candidacy, what's best for the country, what's best for the party,’ said Democratic Rep. Dale E. Kildee, a longtime Clinton backer.”

George Will

McCain's problem might turn out to be the fact that Obama is the Democrats' Reagan. Obama's rhetorical cotton candy lacks Reagan's ideological nourishment, but he is Reaganesque in two important senses: People like listening to him, and his manner lulls his adversaries into underestimating his sheer toughness — the tempered steel beneath the sleek suits. Courtesy Jewish World Review

Rove: A Tough Race for the GOP

Karl Rove: "This will be a very difficult year for Republicans. The economy's shaky state, an unpopular war, and the natural desire for partisan change after eight years of one party in the White House have helped tilt the balance to the Democrats."

However, Sen. John McCain "is the best candidate Republicans could have picked in this environment. With the GOP brand low, his appeal to moderates and independents becomes even more crucial."