There was no spring break on the campaign trail, so White House Bureau Chief Jim Downie is here to fill you in on what you may have missed during the brief academic hiatus.

Your faithful blogger returns from a relatively relaxing and sleep-filled Spring Break (including watching the very good John Adams miniseries on HBO), and hopes his readers had the same. Even though I’m a humanities major, I know enough math to assure you that two weeks between installments means this one will be half as funny! Hang on, no, that’s not right…

Ok, I can’t promise you’ll laugh as much as this gratuitously-linked-to baby, but let’s not let that stop us. And now, the news:

The Wright Stuff: Senator Barack Obama spent much of last week dealing with the fallout from the comments of his former pastor, Jeremiah Wright. YouTube videos showed excerpts from Wright’s sermons declaring 9/11 as a case of “chickens coming home to roost,” as well as declaring AIDS a government conspiracy. Obama spoke last Tuesday in Philadelphia about the controversy. Many observers feel that he managed to weather the first big crisis of his career, though how much momentum the controversy will have in the fall remains to be seen.



From the Dept. of “Whoops”: MSNBC makes a subtle attack on Obama’s background during the Wright speech.

Go With What You Know: Fred Thompson, fresh off of a massively disappointing presidential campaign, is returning to the small screen (he was the District Attorney on the original Law and Order for several years). Now he can pretend to be powerful again.

Mulligan Part 2: Florida and Michigan are still unable to create plans for a re-vote of their early primaries, meaning that Senator Hillary Clinton’s best chance for closing the delegate and popular vote gaps has gone out the window. She needs to win BIG in Pennsylvania to have a chance of closing the gap.

Winning the “cute and cuddly” voters: As part of standard Easter-related diplomatic relations, President Bush meets with the bunny prime minister. Or, if you have a better explanation for the photo, by all means post it below.

Crucial endorsement: Former candidate Bill Richardson endorsed Obama this week, after being heavily lobbied by both sides. As the most widely known Hispanic politician, as well as a governor with plenty of foreign affairs experience, Richardson’s endorsement is seen by some as a step towards the Vice Presidency. Also,  Clinton adviser James Carville compared the endorsement to Jesus’ betrayal by Judas, suggesting that Obama isn’t alone in being considered divine by some of his supporters.

Leno’s Opening Joke: Bill Clinton visits Indiana today for a Dyngus Day celebration. Apparently, Dyngus Day is also known as “Wet Easter Monday,” and the tradition is men drenching women in water (women can either strike back or, if they’re less slightly less feminist-inclined, can throw crockery at men tomorrow). Your blogger will leave it to the late-night comics to connect the dots.