(David Axelrod, on rumors Chuck Hagel will accompany Obama to the Middle East, via Morning Joe)

Sen. Hagel has been very courageous on the issue of Iraq and the misguided policies we've had from the beginning. We're not talking about the details of this trip yet.

(NRO's Jim Geraghty, on Webb's departure)

The chances of Obama selecting a Virginian as his running mate now seem pretty slim. Mark Warner is set on the Senate race, and while he'd make an attractive choice for Obama, he would leave the state party in the lurch in a race that looks extremely winnable. Governor Tim Kaine was one of the first to endorse Obama, but he's been in office three years and change -- only reinforcing the "experience" card. (Also, the current lieutenant governor is a Republican, and is first in line of succession if the governor leaves office.)

(Carly Fiorina, via USA Today)

"I've spent the last 3-1/2 years getting involved in a variety of issues in a variety of government departments," Fiorina replied at a breakfast with reporters hosted by the Christian Science Monitor. "All aspects of the federal government reach out to business people" because of "common elements in the organizational challenges" of running big, complicated operations.

"Yes, I think there are things government can borrow from business," including efforts to control spending during hard times and undertaking "top-to-bottom reviews" of operations, she went on. "That's pretty standard fare in business."