You gotta love kids. They are so honest. Andrew Giuliani, now a senior at Duke, spoke to a New York Times reporter the other day who was curious about his and his sister's absence from the campaign trail:

In a telephone interview yesterday, Andrew, a sophomore and member of the golf team at Duke University, acknowledged having had difficulties with Ms. Nathan, and said that he and his father had recently tried to reconcile after not speaking “for a decent amount of time.”

“There’s obviously a little problem that exists between me and his wife,” the younger Mr. Giuliani said. “And we’re trying to figure that out. But as of right now it’s not working as well as we would like.”

Does the thrice-married Giuliani think he's the teflon-man and all attacks on him will dissipate in honor of him being the 9/11 mayor? Surely, his 15 minutes of mayoral fame won't stretch that far.

More from Andrew, and then onto Caroline:

Malkin still silent, but McCain is sorry:

Last evening, I referred to American casualties in Iraq as wasted. I should have used the word, sacrificed, as I have in the past.

Previously, I wrote:

Apparently, Barack Obama apologized for saying that US troops' lives have been wasted in Iraq . . . Obama did indeed misspeak. The fact is our troops in Iraq have not been wasted, they have been used in an enterprise that has been as damaging to the United States as any in memory. They were worse than wasted -- they were employed in a Debacle that was foretold from the first moment PNAC dreamed up this insane scheme in the 1990s.

About Obama, Michelle Malkin said:

I could go on, but it would be a waste of breath trying to get Sen. Obama to acknowledge the existence of countless soldiers and their families who reject his patronizing, infantilizing, and insulting view of all American troops as dupes/victims who have squandered their lives.

Last night, John McCain said:

"Americans are very frustrated, and they have every right to be," McCain said. "We've wasted a lot of our most precious treasure, which is American lives."

It would be hypocritical of me to criticize McCain for saying soldiers' lives were wasted in Iraq. It would be hypocritical of Michelle Malkin not to.

Patterico, any comment? H/T Atrios

For whom would Jesus vote? "Influential Christian conservatives" are having trouble deciding, according to a David Kirkpatrick article in the NY Times.

Many of the conservatives who attended [a meeting of the Council for National Policy, a secretive club whose few hundred members include Dr. James C. Dobson of Focus on the Family, the Rev. Jerry Falwell of Liberty University and Grover Norquist of Americans for Tax Reform], held at the beginning of the month at the Ritz-Carlton on Amelia Island, Fla., said they were dismayed at the absence of a champion to carry their banner in the next election.

We can only hope that religious extremists have cause to "worry that they may find themselves on the sidelines of the presidential race" in 2008.

The field of Democrats seeking the presidency in 2008 has been narrowed by one.

Tom Vilsack, the former Iowa governor, is pulling out of the race for the Democratic presidential nomination, news to which many American voters will respond “Who?” And that’s precisely the problem. Vilsack was getting very little traction, which means no buzz and not enough money.

Since Kathleen Blanco would be dead in the water is a nonstarter (my apologies for the distasteful phrase I used previously) in a bid for a reelection as Louisina Governor, this is good news for the Dems, via Charlie Cook:

Former Democratic Sen. John Breaux is seriously considering a bid for Governor of Louisiana. John Maginnis, editor of the highly regarded Louisiana Political Fax Weekly, initially reported the news this morning, and the Cook Political Report has independently verified that it is true. Apparently Democratic Gov. Kathleen Blanco has privately indicated a willingness to step aside if Breaux, or possibly another Democrat, such as Rep. Charlie Melancon, would run instead.

None of this is a done deal, but Breaux is serious, and his candidacy would change the face of the race for Democrats.

Breaux would win imo.

I've been rough on Barack Obama. I think, fairly. Many say not fairly. But I am beginning to see qualities that I think are necessary for a successful run for the Presidency. Yesterday in Frank Rich's column, Obama addresses some concerns:

Mr. Obama is well aware of the serious criticisms he engenders, including the charge that he is conciliatory to a fault. He argues that he is “not interested in just splitting the difference” when he habitually seeks a consensus on tough issues. “There are some times where we need to be less bipartisan,” he says. “I’m not interested in cheap bipartisanship. We should have been less bipartisan in asking tough questions about entering into this Iraq war.”

No cheap Broder/Lieberman/McCain "bipartisanship" for Obama.

Rudy is now defending Bush, including his leadership on Iraq. He also mocked the non-binding resolution Congress is considering.

In the business world, if two weeks were spent on a nonbinding resolution, it would be considered nonproductive," Giuliani told the lunch crowd, setting off a burst of laughter.

He called the concept "a comment without making a decision." America, he added, is "very fortunate to have President Bush." "Presidents can't do nonbinding resolutions. Presidents have to make decisions and move the country forward, and that's the kind of president that I would like to be, a president who makes decisions."

Can anyone think of a worse President than Rudy Giuliani? His pandering to Republican conservatives is just so transparent.

Barack Obama's in. A crowd of 5,000 is expected in Springfield, Ill as he makes his announcement.

For Obama, the nation's only black senator, it's an opportunity to compare his political message to that of Abraham Lincoln, another former Illinois legislator who stood in the same building and warned of the dangers of national division.

Obama's website will be running live streaming coverage of the announcement.

Rudy Giuliani is trying to cover his pro-choice stance of the past. Rather than doing a direct flip-flop, he's praising President Bush's right-wing extremist judges.

In his recent travels, he has directed questions on the issue toward a discussion about judges, saying he would appoint jurists who believe in interpreting, not making, the law: judges, he said, like Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and Justices Antonin Scalia and Samuel A. Alito Jr., who he has said he believed would place limits on Roe v. Wade.

“On the federal judiciary I would want judges who are strict constructionists because I am,” he said last week in South Carolina. “I have a very, very strong view that for this country to work, for our freedoms to be protected, judges have to interpret, not invent, the Constitution.

Good for John Edwards. He didn't cave in to the right wing noise machine. It looks like Amanda Marcotte of Pandagon and Melissa McEwan of Shakespeare's Sister of will stay on as bloggers for the campaign.

Here's Edward's press statement, followed by statements from Amanda and Melissa:

John Edwards:

“The tone and the sentiment of some of Amanda Marcotte's and Melissa McEwen's posts personally offended me. It's not how I talk to people, and it's not how I expect the people who work for me to talk to people. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but that kind of intolerant language will not be permitted from anyone on my campaign, whether it's intended as satire, humor, or anything else. But I also believe in giving everyone a fair shake. I've talked to Amanda and Melissa; they have both assured me that it was never their intention to malign anyone's faith, and I take them at their word. We're beginning a great debate about the future of our country, and we can't let it be hijacked. It will take discipline, focus, and courage to build the America we believe in.”

The Chicago Tribune reports on Rudy's speaking fees and the questions it raises for his potential presidential bid.

He commands $100,000 for a speech, not including expenses, which his star-struck clients are happily willing to pay. In one speech last year at Oklahoma State University, Giuliani requested and received travel on a private Gulfstream jet that cost the school $47,000 to operate. His visit essentially wiped out the student speakers annual fund.

Like other high-priced speakers in the private sector, Giuliani routinely travels in style. Besides the Gulfstream, which is a standard perk on the big-time speakers circuit, his contract calls for up to five hotel rooms for his entourage, including his own two-bedroom suite with a preferred balcony view and king-size bed, in the event of an overnight stay. The Oklahoma contract also required a sedan and an SUV, restrictions on news coverage and control over whom Giuliani would meet, how he would be photographed and what questions he might be asked.

Then there is his investment bank, which he is trying to sell, and his consulting and security businesses.

His spokesperson says: