A top Iraqi official bypassed George W. Bush to talk to Barack Obama and John McCain.
Jim Messina, now chief of staff to Senator Max Baucus of Montana, will become Obama’s chief of staff.
Obama’s Father’s Day speech preached personal responsibility and a traditional work ethic.
The L.A. Times says that women voters are falling in with Obama.
Hillary Clinton’s support among African Americans has dropped sharply, according to a New York Times poll.
“Obama’s ostentatious search for a vice presidential candidate is designed to humiliate Sen. Clinton” writes a Times Union contributor.
Howard Kurtz looks at Obama’s new spokeswoman, former reporter Linda Douglass.
John Heilemann interviews Clinton and writes, “She is bigger now than any woman in the country. Certainly, she is bigger than her husband.”
A front-page Wall Street Journal article considers what Obama means for affirmative action.
A spokeswoman for Rudy Giuliani says he isn’t trying to orchestrate a takeover of the party. [last item]
Michael Bloomberg and David Paterson struck a deal on city O.T.B. operations.
The state will take over N.Y.C. O.T.B. with a new public benefit corporation.
The city will get some money out of the deal, a condition for Bloomberg’s agreement.
Fred Dicker is reporting that Paterson said Bloomberg has "the kind of anger that reminds you of Spitzer."
Liz writes, “[T]he key to the deal was ensuring that [Joe] Bruno remained in the governor’s fold.”
In other gambling ventures, there’s the state’s plan to open “a huge video slot parlor at Aqueduct Raceway.”
Both Democratic and Republican Congressional candidates on Staten Island will see contested primaries, it seems.
The Daily News follows Vito Fossella on Father’s Day.
Hakeem Jeffries, James Brennan, Tish James and David Yassky are calling for new legislation to govern what happens with Atlantic Yards.
Jacon Gershman confronts the rumor that Luke Henry, who is challenging Sheldon Silver, is a spoiler.
The head of the New York Power Authority resigned just as Andrew Cuomo was seeking emails one of the agency’s former employees, Daniel Wiese.
Chuck Schumer calls Tim Russert "a statesman" in a Post op-ed.
Michael Barone defends lobbyists in The Sun.
Andrew Stengel and Laura MacCleery want publicly funded campaigns.
Fran Powers tells the New Yorker: “I don’t want to talk about my dad—I mean, Frank Powers…I want to talk Staten Island politics.”
