MORNING READ

by Walter Alarkon - 06/03/08 9:12 AM ET

With Barack Obama poised to clinch the Democratic presidential nomination Tuesday, bloggers look back at how the Clintons lost and ahead to how Obama will fare against Republicans. Obama also gets advice over whom he should pick as vice president and McCain hears from bloggers who want him to take a pledge to serve just one presidential term.

Democrats, having had enough of the Clinton dynasty, have turned to Obama, a candidate who shares the “far left” traditions of Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) and former Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis (D), writes William J. Bennett at The Corner. Bill Clinton again blames his wife’s loss partly on the media’s coverage, railing against Vanity Fair’s Todd Purdum in an interview with the Huffington Post’s Mayhill Flower. But while the former president’s emotions helped him become the 1990s political master, they have backfired on his wife’s campaign and have shown that he is out of touch in the YouTube era, writes TalkingPointsMemo’s Josh Marshall.

Obama shouldn’t pick Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.) or a conservative Democrat since he needs women voters disappointed by Hillary Clinton’s loss, writes Natasha Chart at MyDD. McCain should engage women voters, especially those who are white and have lower incomes, by holding more high-profile events with female surrogates like Carly Fiorina, according to The Next Right’s Soren Dayton. McCain might win more support from Clinton supporters who are moving on to the 2012 campaign if he pledges to serve just one term, writes RedState’s Ben Domenech. For Obama to beat McCain, the media can’t let the Republican get away with his “phony reputation as a maverick,” writes Arianna Huffington, who has started the John McCain News Hunt at the Huffington Post.

In Congress, it’s no surprise that Democrats like the cap-and-trade climate change bill since it seeks to expand government, but that’s no reason for McCain to support it, writes Power Line’s Paul Mirengoff. Democrats, however, have a chance to pick up another House seat in a conservative district in California, where Democrat Charlie Brown leads Republican opponents in the race to succeed Rep. John Doolittle (R-Calif.), retiring while under investigation for links to jailed lobbyist Jack Abramoff, notes MyDD’s dday.

FROM THE BLOGS:
Dems: My Old Party – William J. Bennett, The Corner
The Coming Superdelegate Deluge – kos, Daily Kos
Bad If Demography Is Destiny? – Josh Patashnik, The Plank
Bill Clinton: Purdum A ‘Sleazy’ ‘Slimy’ ‘Scumbag – M. Flower, HuffPo
Bill: Out Of His Element – Josh Marshall, TalkingPointsMemo
Veepstakes: Please No Webb, DINOs – Natasha Chart, MyDD
Can McCain Appeal To Disaffected Women? – S. Dayton, Next Right
Hillary For VP, Or For ’12? – Patrick Ruffini, The Next Right
‘Protestors’ At RBC Meeting – DHinMI, Daily Kos
Obama Sought ‘Radical’ New Party Endosement – Erickson, RedState
John McCain News Hunt – A. Huffington, Huffington Post
McCain’s One-Term Pledge – Ben Domenech, RedState
Re: Talking To Iran – Mark R. Levin, The Corner
Fieger Acquitted – Josh Marshall, TalkingPointsMemo
CA-04: Brown Leads GOP Opponents – dday, MyDD
Cap/Trade Hard For Dems To Resist – Paul Mirengoff, Power Line