"Mitt Romney is a great person and he's done a great job for us and we're really pleased at the cooperation and help that he's given us and he won millions of Republican votes so there will be a big place for him in the Republican party in the future, but obviously we're not talking about specific candidates."

Conservative evangelical leaders met privately this week to discuss putting aside their misgivings about John McCain and coalescing around the Republican's presidential bid while urging him to consider social conservative favorite Mike Huckabee as a running mate.

Retired Gen. Wesley Clark talked his way out of what was shaping as a serious chance to be Obama's running mate when he delivered a mindless blast against McCain's war record (in the process, eclipsing Obama's carefully crafted patriotism speech). Clark improved as a candidate during his 2004 presidential race, but not enough obviously.

"I'd expect McCain to name his choice on the Friday after the Democratic convention," said Scott Reed, who managed Bob Dole's presidential bid in 1996. "It would be a good way to quash Obama's bounce."

A source who familiar with the conversations tells me that [Colin] Powell informed both John McCain (at a meeting in Arlington a couple of weeks ago) and Barack Obama (at a subsequent one in Powell's Alexandria office) that he does not intend to endorse a candidate--if he does--until after the two parties hold their conventions in late summer.

Well, Judy, as I've said, I didn't even run for high school president or anything like that. I think I'm best suited in the kinds of roles that I've had. But I'll tell you, I have a lot that I want to do, and not just as an academic. I care deeply about this country. Representing this country has been an enormous honor. But I do know too that unless Americans are confident about who we are and about our ability to compete, we're not going to lead. I am concerned that we shouldn't lose our will to lead.