The World is Talking. Global Politics

Robert Novak: “Support is growing in Democratic ranks for Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland as
vice president. He would bring to the ticket maturity (he’s 66),
experience (six terms in Congress) and moderation (rated ‘’A'’ by the
National Rifle Association). He is very popular in Ohio, a state
Republicans must carry to elect a president.”

Another important factor: As a supporter of Sen. Hillary Clinton, Strickland could help unite the Democratic party.

“You’re going to see people (superdelegates) making decisions at a
rapid pace from this point on. We’ve been announcing several
each day for the last few days. We’re going to continue to unfurl these
endorsements on a regular basis.”

– Strategist David Axelrod, quoted by the Washington Post, as Sen. Barack Obama has now surpassed Sen. Hillary Clinton in superdelegate support.

Here’s another interesting book out later this month: The Last Campaign: Robert F. Kennedy and 82 Days That Inspired America by Thurston Clarke.

From the book jacket: “After John F. Kennedy’s assassination, Robert Kennedy–formerly Jack’s no-holds-barred political warrior–almost lost hope. He was haunted by his brother’s murder, and by the nation’s seeming inabilities to solve its problems of race, poverty, and the war in Vietnam. Bobby sensed the country’s pain, and when he announced that he was running for president, the country united behind his hopes. Over the action-packed eighty-two days of his campaign, Americans were inspired by Kennedy’s promise to lead them toward a better time. And after an assassin’s bullet stopped this last great stirring public figure of the 1960s, crowds lined up along the country’s railroad tracks to say goodbye to Bobby.”

The New York Times has a must-read preview of the fall campaign.

Sen. John McCain and Sen. Barack Obama “are already drawing up strategies for taking each other on in the general election, focusing on the same groups — including independent voters and Latinos — and about a dozen states where they think the contest is likely to be decided this fall.”

In short, McCain will try to paint Obama as inexperienced, liberal and out-of-touch with the mainstream. Obama will try to link McCain as the prime heir to President Bush and highlight his opposition to abortion rights.

Interesting: “The two sides said Saturday that they would be open to holding joint
forums or unmoderated debates across the country in front of voters
through the summer.”

Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-IL) called the New York Times to criticize Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA) “for remarks he made when asked about the possibility of” Sen. Barack Obama choosing Sen. Hillary Clinton as
his running-mate.

Saud Enanuel: “I have a lot of respect for Ted Kennedy, but I don’t know how the
hell he comes off saying that. The gratuitous
attack on her is uncalled for and wrong. He is a better senator than
that comment reveals.”

Sen. Barack Obama’s race “and inflammatory racial remarks made by his
former preacher negatively affect how likely voters view the candidate,”
according to a new Herald-Leader/WKYT Kentucky Poll.

“More than
one in five likely Democratic voters surveyed said being black hurts
Obama’s chances of winning an election in Kentucky, compared to 4
percent who said Obama’s race helps him.”

“Although more than half of respondents said his race isn’t a factor in
the election, many of those surveyed also said racially charged remarks
by the Rev. Jeremiah Wright will play an important role as they decide
whom to support in the May 20 primary.”

Several top New York Republicans tell WNBC-TV that Rep. Vito Fossella’s (R-NY) resignation will come very soon.

“There was political concern about how best to preserve the seat for the
Republicans — questions about immediate resignation versus finishing
out his term and retiring — but the calculation is there’s nothing to
be gained from Fossella sticking around. While Staten Island
Republicans believe Fossella could at least serve out his term (the
rest of the year) national Republicans want him gone. Now.”

No real surprise here: CQ Politics changes the rating on Fossella’s NY-13 seat from Safe Republican to No Clear Favorite.

Sen. Barack Obama said that “he would not rule out the possibility”
of helping Sen. Hillary Clinton “retire her campaign debt to
bring her into the fold and unify Democrats. But he said no discussions
have taken place yet,” the New York Times reports.

Said Obama: “Obviously, I’d want to have a broad-ranging discussion with Senator
Clinton about how I could make her feel good about the process and have
her on the team moving forward.”

Political Insider: What does Hillary want?

With Sen. Barack Obama now leading in the support of both pledged delegates and superdelegates — adding at least seven more supers to his tally today — ABC News reports that Bill Clinton is making the case that Sen. Hillary Clinton can still win the popular vote if she gets 80% support in West Virginia next week.

Unfortunately, “many in the crowd seemed to lose interest as he began his speech — even during his appeal for a high voter turnout.”

In an interview to be televised later tonight on Bloomberg TV, Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA) said Sen. Barack Obama isn’t likely to pick Sen. Hillary Clinton as a running mate.

Said Kennedy: “I don’t think it’s possible.”

He said Obama should choose a running mate who “is in tune with his appeal for the
nobler aspirations of the American people.”