MORNING READ

by Walter Alarkon - 05/08/08 9:25 AM ET

Now that pundits are declaring Barack Obama the nominee, bloggers are wondering what it will take to get Hillary Clinton out of the race. They also look ahead to the foreign and domestic policy debates between Obama and John McCain and the members of Congress that will face tough races in November.

Since Clinton is a “reasonable person,” she will drop out by June 15, according to a “senior campaign official” who talks to The Huffington Post’s Lawrence O’Donnell. If she leaves the race immediately, she could get Obama to pay her campaign debt, a powerful Senate post and an opportunity to heal the rift she created with the African-American community, writes Thomas B. Edsall, also at The Huffington Post. One unlikely option for her is to take the vice presidential slot, according to Josh Marshall, who thinks the position is beneath her, and Hot Air’s Ed Morrissey, who concludes that Clinton either wants to win or wants more power in the Senate.

But Clinton’s presidential campaign may not be over yet, according to her supporters and McCain’s backers. Clinton, after all, won Indiana despite having the media narrative working against her, writes MyDD’s Jerome Armstrong. By staying in, she could prolong the race, especially with Michigan and Florida’s delegates still undecided, writes Clinton backer Todd Beeton and McCain supporter Erick Erickson.

The odds, however, favor an Obama-McCain matchup, which is already heating up. McCain’s argument that he’s stronger than Obama because of experience is inconsistent with his previous support for George W. Bush in the 2000 general election and his criticism of 2004 Democratic nominee John Kerry, according to smintheus at Daily Kos. McCain, however, is poised to score among working-class voters, who favored McCain’s proposal for a gas tax holiday that Obama opposed, according to new polls, notes John Hinderaker.

Amid all the presidential hubbub, many Congress members face competitive races. Democrat Kay Hagan, the opponent for Sen. Elizabeth Dole (R-N.C.), could be the Jim Webb of 2008, the candidate who starts behind in polls but ends up catching the favored Republican incumbent in November, according to Daily Kos’s brownsox. And “liberal Republicans” need to watch out, as conservative activists like Pat Toomey at the Club For Growth are targeting them with more conservative GOP candidates, notes Townhall’s Matt Lewis.

FROM THE BLOGS:
Hillary Will Drop Out By June 15 – Lawrence O’Donnell, HuffPo
Big Awards Await If She Ends Campaign Now – T. Edsall, HuffPo
Clinton Really Want the V.P. Slot? – Josh Marshall, TalkingPointsMemo
Hillary Hanging Out For V.P. Slot, Or Payday? – Ed Morrissey, Hot Air
More On What Happened In Ind. – Jerome Armstrong, MyDD
Oper. Chaos Can Still Cause More Chaos – Erick Erickson, RedState
‘National Security Experience’ – smintheus, Daily Kos
Good News For Conservatives – John Hinderaker, Power Line
Second Rat e – Josh Marshall, TalkingPointsMemo
House And Senate Races Roundup – brownsox, Daily Kos
Pat Toomey On Hunting RINO – Matt Lewis, Townhall.com
Pelosi: ‘Veto And Drill!’ – Victor Davis Hanson, The Corner