Now things are going to get tough for John McCain. With Barack Obama closing his fist around the Democratic presidential nomination, Democrats will start uniting behind him, especially if Hillary Clinton winds down her campaign on a positive note. Barring some unexpected bolt of bad news for Obama or bitter last-gasp determination by Clinton, Obama should be the acknowledged nominee in a matter of weeks if not sooner.

Israel celebrates its 60th anniversary Thursday. What we should remember is May 8 commemorates the founding of the modern Jewish state. For millennia, Jews have lived, reared families, tended flocks and brought in crops, and celebrated good days and suffered bad times in the Holy Land. The Romans may have destroyed the previous Jewish state, scattering Jews into centuries of the Diaspora, but they did not wipe out Jewish life there.

Unlike some countries, the United States combines in the presidency the roles of head of government and head of state. A candidate's policies are the benchmarks voters look to in considering a government leader. For head of state, Americans tend to consider a candidate's values -- is the politician someone they're comfortable with?

Even the most committed, never-say-die supporter of Hillary Clinton must be feeling a twinge of sorrow or pity for Barack Obama today.

Democrats could be careening down the track toward a train wreck -- their version of the disputed 2000 election. That's the one where Al Gore won the popular vote but George W. Bush captured the Electoral College tally and, after messy Florida recounts and litigation, the presidency. This nightmare could be repeated for the Democrats if they emerge from their primary season with Barack Obama leading in the delegate count but Hillary Clinton ahead in the popular vote.

A couple of weeks ago I wondered in this space about who was winning the Battle of Basra. That column expressed surprise and relief at how well the Iraqi army was performing. Still, at the time a lot of ink was expended on how Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki had overplayed his hand in taking on Shiite militias and had suffered setbacks. I got a bit of e-mail grief from anti-war readers a couple of days later when it was reported that 1,000 Iraqi troops had deserted as the fighting raged.

We've heard a lot of talk about change from Democrats in this political season. Yet it is John McCain who proposes the most useful change by shaking up Washington's bipartisan culture of spend, spend and spend some more while funneling tax goodies to fat cats.

The ebb and flow of the Democratic presidential race is an amazing thing to watch. Just when Barack Obama starts narrowing the gap in Pennsylvania and appears close to having Hillary Clinton on the ropes, a landmine explodes under him.

The best indicator of Republican John McCain's surprisingly strong presidential prospects in what should be a slam-dunk Democratic year is not his solid general-election poll numbers but rather the increasingly shrill attacks from Democrats.