Its a tough time to be a Republican and it appears targeted GOP Senate candidates have little desire being photographed walking past Larry Craig's favorite restroom.

Among those who will not attend [the GOP nominating convention Saint Paul] are Sen. Ted Stevens of Alaska, who is not close to presumptive presidential nominee Sen. John McCain of Arizona, and Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, who is a McCain loyalist. Stevens and Collins will use the convention week to focus on their campaigns.

Also sending regrets is former Rep. Bob Schaffer of Colorado, running for the seat being vacated by retiring GOP Sen. Wayne Allard.

Six others -- Sens. Roger Wicker of Mississippi, John Sununu of New Hampshire, Elizabeth Dole of North Carolina and Gordon Smith of Oregon and challengers John Kennedy of Louisiana and Rep. Steve Pearce of New Mexico are still on the fence. Their spokesman offered responses ranging from "there are no plans yet" to "no decisions have been made."

This should be an interesting 100 days or so as we head into the conventions and the general election. Democrats have a lot of work to do between now and then, but it's a worthy exercise to remind ourselves now and again that although things may not appear to be going as we might like: it could be worse. Now is not the time to do our best Chicken Little impressions because hard work, perseverance and a firm commitment to our candidates will see us through the final push.

Now go make a contribution to your favorite Democrat, have a shot of good tequila, and keep the faith My Friends. (Oh shit, I think my McCainia is kicking in!)

Here. Not as bad as we thought.

Every NM Congress Critter threw a hat in the ring for Pete Domenici's seat. That's not quite as impressive as it may sound because we only have three of'em.

Here's a snapshot of how things look right now:

CD-01 (Tom Udall's seat will stay Dem)

CD-02 (Steve Pearce's seat is a toss up right now.)

The Democrat (Teague) has a name recognition advantage, but the district is pretty conservative. Even most of the Democrats in that CD would be Republicans in other states.

CD03 (Heather Wilson's seat is a toss up)

Although Martin Heinrich is the darling of the progressives he is an unknown quantity when it comes to his ability to organize and campaign. Darren White (R) is VERY popular with Republicans and is not hated by moderate Independents. White also has substantial name recognition because he is currently Bernalillo County sheriff and has served as the head of the state Department of Safety. If Heinrich can tie White to the Bush Administration (which shouldn't be difficult because he supports the war) then Heinrich will probably win in a close election. If he can't, White wins by 6+ points.

NM-Sen: The biggest gift of last night primary was Steve Pearce knocking off Heather Wilson for the Republican nod to be the sacrificial lamb to the Udall. Heather Wilson is a great GE campaigner. Unfortunately, with a low turnout yesterday, only the most fanatical members of the Republican base voted yesterday. In the southern part of the state she was considered a "librul" and Pearce is one of them. Game over.  Udall wins by 10+ even if he doesn't campaign well.

New Mexico will go for Obama and he will have very long coattails. Grassroot organizing has been strong here and several longtime Dem office holders were knocked out for better Democrats. Why you ask? My brother is voting for Barack Obama. That is a sure signal that either the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are about to make an appearance, or a seismic poltical shift has occurred since George H.W.'s son got himself appointed Idiot-in-Chief. I'm an atheist so my money is on the seismic political shift.

Keep your fingers crossed, but it looks pretty good right now. If Obama, and the fired up progressives here in NM keep momentum rolling it could be one hell of a GE for Democrats, and in particular for progressives.

I'll be out doing voter registration drives all this summer and keeping everyone posted about what I hear out in the field.

Have a good'un.

I want to go on record and thank Senator Clinton for running a spirited campaign. She made our nominee a better candidate and proved to be formidable when it came to her grasp of the issues.

Hillary Clinton is a great Democrat, and as Senator Obama said last night, will lead the charge for universal healthcare in the Senate.

Ted Kennedy became the Lion of the Senate after his failed bid to win the 1980 nomination. In my opinion Senator Clinton is the heir apparent to that legacy with her detailed knowledge and passion for the issues that matter most to Democrats.

Why not Howard Dean as the VP candidate? He has great progressive credentials, has proven leadership skills and is able to cut through a lot of bullshit with concise answers to questions.

The notion that we need another veteran or retired military officer on a Democratic ticket is misguided at best. John Kerry had the resume, but he was a mediocre campaigner. I am a vet and frequently find myself snickering at Democrats when they think they need Street Cred on the national security and the way to borrow Cred is to put a vet on the ticket. Bullshit! We need candidates who represent our values and not someone who supposedly has magical powers because they MIGHT mitigate a perceived weakness in the ticket or platform. Please stop insulting us!

Maybe its time to be liberals again? Its not a bad word and the message is as strong as ever. The American people know they've been had by these conservative thugs in the Administration and need to hear a powerful argument for why the Democrats should have their hands on the wheel that steers the ship of state. Howard Dean in the #2 spot would be a strong signal that being forthright and talking to voters like adults is going to be a priority.  Wouldn't a running mate with a reputation for straight talk, like Howard Dean, confirm Obama's message of change? 

This is no time for Democrats to over think this election. Its time for them to lead with a ticket that promotes the powerful message that they are going to DC and take back the White House from the war criminals. Who better to join the leadership of the Obama team than Howard Dean? Howard Dean is one of the primary architects of the 2006 election success and as a former governor and current Chair of the DNC understands the challenges in front of the American people.

The powerful political chops Howard Dean honed over the past four years would be a formidable asset to the Obama campaign.

Howard Dean for Vice President.

Florida Congressman Alcee Hasting picked up his marbles and went home after hearing of the RBC's decision today.

As a matter of protest, I do not intend to attend the Democratic National Convention in Denver.

Damn shame, Alcee. Maybe you and Harold Ickes have a pity party while the rest of us roll up our sleeves and get to work. This reminds me of parents at a Little League game.

I'm off to donate a few more bucks to the next President. The deadline is tonight for the month of May.

That question, asked and answered at Nukes & Spooks.

But the responses to McClellan from the Bush administration and media bigwigs, history-bending as they are, compel us to jump in. As we like to say around here, it's truth to power time, not just for the politicians but also for some folks in our own business.

The stellar performance of McClatchy journalists is undeniable, and they deserve our thanks for reporting, and asking the tough questions, while the major networks and the so-called liberal media were sucking their collective thumbs.

When McClellan pledges all income from this book endeavor to the victims of his boss's war crimes I should be quite happy to entertain the notion we "need" men like him. Men with a front row seat, as it were, to tell us about the inner workings of an administration hellbent on war are required to convince those on Right that Bush and his gang are indeed war criminals. But, most of us on the Left know what happened! We were lied into a misbegotten war for no good reason. And now, more than 4000 dead Americans, score of thousands of dead Iraqis cry out from the grave for justice.

McClellan was the willing mouthpiece of an administration filled with war criminals and their minions. We might spare McClellan the gallows for his treachery, but his puppetmasters deserve no such leniency.

The Straight-Talk Express ran into another lump in its oatmeal. The Hill reports that:

Federal agents interviewed staffers for likely Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) as part of their corruption case against Rep. Rick Renzi (R-Ariz.).

The only remaining question is if enough Republicans will be left to run McCain's Presidential campaign. At this pace, it will be McCain and his chauffeur Joe Lieberman, doing the road trip version of Grumpy Old Men.

Will the Dukester be out in time to give them a hand?

Al Giordano reports:

The endorsement by US Rep. Dennis Cardoza (D-California) of Obama today sends an extremely firm message to the Clinton campaign, and not only because he was, until today, a Clinton superdelegate.

The Field has learned that Cardoza is the first of a group of at least 40 Clinton delegates, many of them from California, that through talking among themselves came to a joint decision that all of them would vote for Obama at the convention. They have informed Senator Clinton that it’s time to unite around Obama, and that they will be coming out, one or two at a time, and announcing their switch between now and the convention if Senator Clinton doesn’t do the same.

This is interesting:

LLO, for whom I produce shows has been using the John Edwards campaign offices here in Southern Village, a beautiful complex of businesses and restaurants just down the road from my house.

He gave up his offices when he came out of the campaign

This morning, we have been officially informed that Edwards campaign needs the offices back and we must move as of today.

Very interesting. Could be a coincidence. Or not.

A Clinton pledged delegate announced yesterday that he is changing his allegiance to Barack Obama:

Jack Johnson, county executive of Prince George's County, said he believes Obama has sealed the nomination and that Clinton has "fallen a little short of the line" needed to be the party's candidate in the general election.

That pledged delegate switching his endorsement may NOT be good news for Barack Obama or the delegate himself. It is important to point out that if a pledged delegate breaks the pledge, like the one Mr. Johnson took earlier this year there are safeguards built into Democratic Party rules that allow campaigns to protect their delegates.

Each campaign may review its delegate lists and scratch people off who they think are at risk of not upholding pledges.

When a delegate is elected at a district level organizing meeting, there are alternate delegates elected. The alternates are selected as back-ups in case the chosen delegate cannot attend the convention.

If the Clinton campaign presses the issue Mr. Johnson may be watching the convention on television.

From our friends at NRO:

If the GOP can't hold on to a House seat in the Deep South that Bush won by 25 points, it's going to be 1974 all over again. I'm just hoping that Rahm Emanuel has recruited enough pro-sovereignty, Heath Shuler-style Dems so that we can head off amnesty.

Oh, noes! Those DFH's are going to fuck up the culture. Again.

Winning the November GE will certainly not be a walk in the park, but things do look good. If Democrats continue to organize, register to vote, volunteer, and donate to left leaning candidates 2009 will be a good year for our cause.

Looks like Clinton has been Hanging With the Hard Working White Folk in Oregon. Here a little something from the shallow end of the gene pool:

“I think it’s just great that she’s staying in,” Frisby told me. He isn’t a big fan of Obama. He’s heard Obama won’t sing the national anthem, that he considers it a war song. “How good an American could he be if that’s his way of thinking?” Frisby asked. “His patriotism goes one way—that’s his way.”

How did Frisby hear about Obama’s dislike of the national anthem? You guess it: By email.

And these people are Democrats.

John Cole, ruminating about the potential disaster awaiting the GOP this November found this gem in his comment section:

The GOP let Alfred E. Neumann sit behind the wheel of their bus and drive it off a cliff. The fuckin’ thing is falling, Alfred’s grinning mug is turned to them asking “Hows that fellas?” and somewhere from the back of the bus a genius removes his tongue from the window and mumbles “Pssst, I think we have a message problem.”

Now if we can just get Danziger or Oliphant to draw the cartoon.

Obama is now the presumptive nominee. Its time to get to work on winning the GE. This Saturday the Obama campaign kicks off its 50-state Voter Registration drive. I urge all of you to spend just one day during this election season registering new voters. Clinton and Obama brought millions of new voters into the process and we want that momentum to continue.  Here's a snippet of the email I got from the campaign a few days ago:

The Barack Obama campaign is launching its new 50-state voter registration and mobilization drive on May 10th at locations across the nation. In Albuquerque, Obama supporters will meet at the IBEW Union Hall at 4921 Alexander Blvd. NE (map) on Saturday, May 10, at 9:00 AM to kick off the Vote for Change effort in New Mexico.

Arrive a little before 9:00 AM for free coffee, juice, donuts, etc., and there will be voter registration training for those new to the process. Participants will fan out to do voter registration throughout the county. Anyone interested in participating may contact Ana Canales at alcanales@comcast.net or 515-9662, or click to RSVP for the event online.

Similar events will continue through the November election in all 50 states, including New Mexico. Recent voter registration drives organized by the Obama campaign have helped in gaining more than 200,000 new Democratic registrations in Pennsylvania, more than 165,000 new Democrats in North Carolina, and more than 150,000 new Democrats in Indiana.

It will also be necessary for the Obama campaign to define McCain. If you have any doubts that McCain is a "reasonable" guy I suggest you read this:

John McCain sought to burnish his conservative credentials Tuesday with a broadside against "the common and systematic abuse of our federal courts by the people we entrust with judicial power" and a promise of "better judges" in the mold of Supreme Court Justices John G. Roberts and Samuel Alito. (my emphasis added)

Its time to train our fire on the Senator from Arizona. America can't afford a third Bush term. It really is that simple. One way we (TPM diarists) can effect this narrative is to write about McCain and search out stories that effectively paint McCain for what he is: BUSH III.

For those of you who have been out working for your candidate (Clinton, Obama, et. al.) I salute your service and I hope you will all continue to support our likely nominee. For those of you who have never been involved in a campaign please help us take back our country from this awful administration.  Write to your local paper, blog, donate cash, get involved in Obama's 50-state voter registration campaign. We have a lot of work to do and now is the time to set aside our differences and work for all Democratic candidates at all levels of government.

So troops: strap on your Birkenstocks, fasten your flag lapel pin firmly in place, take a last sip of that latte, hop in your Volvo/Saab/Prius and get to work. We've got some McCain ass to kick!