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Over the weekend Hillary Clinton dispelled any notions that she was ready to concede defeat and slink away into the night by lambasting Barack Obama for his allegedly dishonest critiques of her positions on health care and NAFTA. Mike Huckabee isn’t done either — he skewered his own reluctance to leave the race on Saturday Night Live. Plus, Ralph Nader somehow thinks it’s a good idea to run again. And while the primary landscape is still shifting, many people are already strategizing about the general election.
• Susan Page points out that McCain, Obama, and Clinton lack executive experience, so they probably won’t be “ready on day one.” [USAT]
• Which is why, as Robert Pear writes, so many governors are being examined as potential running mates. [Caucus/NYT]
• Matthew Yglesias writes that if Clinton’s experience edge over Obama is so important, as she claims, then she may have a hard time facing McCain, who can use the same argument against her. [Atlantic]
• David Paul Kuhn reports that the Republican National Committee is testing how nasty it can be to Obama or Clinton without seeming racist or sexist. [Stump/New Republic]
• Kevin Drum looks at the surprising national-security dynamic shaping up between Obama and McCain — Obama has supported unilateral strikes against terrorists in Pakistan while McCain has opposed them. [Political Animal/Washington Monthly]
• Kathryn Jean Lopez thinks McCain can easily exploit his national-security credentials over Obama, but he has to put some effort into it. [National Review]
• Mark Halperin looks at ways John McCain can take on Barack Obama, and it’s not all pretty. Think Obama’s past drug use, scary name. [Page/Time]
• Clive Crook looks forward to a substantive policy debate between McCain and Obama, who have some fundamental disagreements on major issues like trade, Iraq, and health care. [Washington Blog/Financial Times] —Dan Amira
For a complete guide to presidential candidates Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and John McCain — from First Love to Most Embarrassing Gaffe — read the 2008 Electopedia.
