Another very special Tuesday installment of Political Weekly with Bwog’s White House Bureau Chief Jim Downie.

It’s spring, which means that Columbia can remove those unsightly tarps from the lawns just in time for prospective students to think that Columbia always looks this happy. Of course, spring is also the time of year when the thoughts of young men and women turn to love (and when writers look for new and witty ways to use that cliche). On the campaign trail, though, love is not exactly in the air, as the Democratic race grows more and more tense while the next round of primaries move closer. 

“Bitter”-gate: The big story this past weekend was Senator Barack Obama’s words at a San Francisco fundraiser, where he said of Pennsylvania voters “So it’s not surprising then that they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren’t like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.” Senators Hillary Clinton and John McCain both jumped on the comment, letting America know that Pennsylvanians are actually incapable of feeling bitter. Clinton also spent the weekend honing her new “I love guns” image, trying to paint Obama as too “elitist” for the general election. Almost immediately, Obama hit back, and yesterday he got even tougher, referring to Clinton as “Annie Oakley,” and even shouting “shame on her!”

ALRIGHT POLICY PROPOSALS! WOOOOO!: Clinton throws back a shot in Indiana. 

The CBS Fridays at 10: As always, numbers from Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Indiana, and national polling are available here, here, and/or here.

C-SPANable: Last week, General David Petraeus testified on Iraq to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, where he was questioned by all three candidates. SNL‘s take on it here.

Don’t Forget About Me: New York magazine has a fascinating profile about John McCain.

Something to do in your non-existent free time: The New York Times profiles the citizen journalist who broke the Obama “bitter” remark. A great read for anyone interested in the future of media.

But Kentucky food is good: Various Kentucky Republican big shots audition for late-night slots at a district dinner, with jokes ranging from off-color to somewhat racist.

Good writing is hard to find: And that’s why you should read Hendrik Hertzberg on the campaign and “misspeaking.”

Just stop it: Obama is certainly flush with cash, but it looks like his overwhelming spending on advertising may actually have a backlash. A new poll finds that his excessive advertising is pushing a full 23% of primary votes towards Clinton.

From the Dept. of “Whoops”: AP board chair Dean Singleton, when asking Obama about terrorism at a luncheon in DC today, referred to Al-Qaeda’s chief as “Obama Bin Laden.”