(Chicago Tribune)

Sen. John McCain was asked yesterday whether the irritations and annoyances of the Republican primary were long gone when it comes to former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, thought to be a contender to be McCain's running mate.

"Have you guys really buried the hatchet," a reporter asked, trying to discern what the tea leaves might show.

"Oh yeah, we've spent a lot of time together, spent time together and--. And you know I've seen other primaries," McCain said, "and they've been much more spirited and sometimes much rougher than ours was."

Still, McCain acknowledged, "There was a couple occasions where we had fairly sharp differences in the primary, but overall--how long did the primary last? A year? A-year-and-a-half? We had a respectful campaign. It wasn't hard to, to, to come back together. And I've gotta say that his generosity, almost immediately, seeing me up in Boston was really a generous gesture on his part."

(The Hill)

Many Romney donors remain on the sidelines. Only 96 of Romney's 345 campaign bundlers have given to McCain since Romney suspended his campaign at the end of February, according to an analysis by The Hill.

This may give McCain a strong incentive to pick Romney as his running mate when many political observers believe that Obama could have a major financial advantage over his Republican opponent in the fall.

(InsiderAdvantage)

While names like Florida Gov. Charlie Crist and others have been floated, the once-discounted name of Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue has again reached the level of true consideration...

So enter Sonny Perdue, former head of the Republican Governor's Conference and a consensus style GOP leader.

Mere conjecture? Nope. Perdue, according to strong national sources, has risen to the top four in the veepstakes. Whether he's the eventual choice or not, look for him to be a player in a McCain administration.

(AP)

With tensions [with Iran] rising, Sen. Joe Biden opened a Senate hearing Wednesday by scolding the Bush administration for not adequately engaging Iran on its nuclear programs.

"Let me get right to the point of today's hearing and let me be blunt: In my view, as a result of the policies this administration has pursued, Iran, not freedom, has been on the march in the Middle East," said Biden, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. "The issue is not whether Iran presents a real security challenge. It does. The question is whether we have a realistic view of that challenge -- and a coherent policy to deal with it. ... Our choices are straightforward. We either engage, maintain the status quo, or use some sort of military force."

(The Denver Post)

Asked whether he'd consider the job if asked, [Sen. Ken] Salazar said, "If I were approached, I would be honored.

"It would be something that would be considered," Salazar added, "but I don't expect that that will happen."

As for his own top vice president picks for Obama, Salazar named former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, retired Gen. Wesley Clark and U.S. Sen. Jim Webb of Virginia.

(Carly Fiorina, via the Los Angeles Times)

"Let me give you a real, live example, which I've been hearing a lot about from women. There are many health insurance plans that will cover Viagra but won't cover birth control medication. Those women would like a choice," she said.