Liberal bloggers are buzzing this Mother's Day Sunday over the resignation of John Goodyear, the man John McCain's campaign picked to head the GOP convention, after Newsweek outed the lobbyist's ties to Myanmar's military junta. Bloggers are also looking ahead to a Barack Obama-John McCain match up and a promise made today by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to hold hearings on the Pentagon's coordinated use of retired military officials to push the Defense Department's agenda.

The "personal responsibility" McCain  likes to talk about was lacking in his pick of Goodyear to run the GOP convention, Firedoglake's David Neiwert writes. For a candidate who frequently blasts lobbyists, McCain seems to be "pretty tight" with a lot of them, Josh Marshall notes. And though McCain was very quick to dismiss Goodyear, the campaign was slow in dropping Doug Davenport, a second lobbyist tied to Myanmar, who was working for McCain as a regional campaign manager Marc Ambinder points out.

Many bloggers are thrilled by signals from the McCain and Obama camps that the general election will be issue oriented. Daily Kos blogger DemFromCT is excited over the prospect, thinking Obama need extend no further than issues to beat McCain. But Mark Halperin makes clear that even though the campaigns are talking issues now, they are finding subtle ways to hit each other.

In an online discussion with Firedoglake about his new book, Reid swore Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin (D-Mich.) will hold hearings on the Pentagon's use of retired officers to promote U.S. military actions. The blogger who followed the discussion is hopeful a hearing will break the "media blackout" on the story that many bloggers expressed outrage over when it broke nearly a month ago. Amanda from Think Progress is thrilled by the announcement, noting this is the first time Reid has promised hearings on the matter.

FROM THE BLOGS:
Obama, McCain Hatch General Election Plans - The Page
The Past and Future Election - DemFromCT, Daily Kos
More Lies and Distortions from Obama -  California Yankee, RedState
The Government That Fails Us - haystack, RedState
McCain Tight with Lobbyists - Josh Marshall, Talking Points Memo
Another Top Republican Linked to Myanmar - David Neiwert, Firedoglake
A Second McCain Aide Resigns - Marc Ambinder
Reid: Hearings Coming - David Neiwert, Firedoglake
Fox Ripped for Bias, By MSNBC? - Allahpundit, Hot Air
Why HRC Won't Give Up - Jeralyn, TalkLeft

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:
Clinton Goes from Inevitable to on The Ropes - AP
Sit Back Relax, Get Ready to Rumble - Newsweek
Obama, Clinton Not Talking Debt Deal - The Hill

Barack Obama needs some down time after claiming he visited 57 states, bloggers advise. A determined Hilary Clinton pushing forward with superdelegates and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) recalling President Bush's tough guy comments on Iraq are also being discussed Saturday.

Obama's remark, made Friday in Oregon, that he has visited "57 states” during the campaign has Mark Steyn at The Corner wondering if Clinton is "tossing in new states just to prolong the nomination process?” Both On Call and Marc Ambinder suggest the Illinois Senator just needs some time off, but Ambinder points out if McCain made a similar gaffe the media would have jumped all over him.

TPM’s Greg Sargent reports that Clinton told superdelegates on a conference call Saturday that, though she knows it isn’t easy resisting the pressure to back Obama, she's still in the race. Mark Halperin suspects that Clinton is telling superdelegates that she and Obama are communicating through back channels and promising to promote unity when the race ends.

Liberal bloggers meanwhile are outraged over a claim Reid made on Keith Olberman’s show Friday night, telling the host that after “complaining” to Bush about how the war was being handled a year ago, Bush said, “Bring ‘em on. We’re killing them. We’re killing them.” Amanda at Think Progress blasts Bush for using the line while “the surge” was starting to be implemented. The line is proof that “a child” is leading the nation, writes Atrios.

FROM THE BLOGS:
If McCain Did This . . . - Marc Ambinder
Obama's Veep List - The Huffington Post
Why I Should Face Rep. Tim Mahoney - Hal Valeche, RedState
Clinton's Private Call to Superdelegates - Greg Sargent, TPM Election Central
Obama Won't Rule Out Easing Clinton's Debt - The Caucus
Reid: Bush Again Declared 'Bring 'Em On' - Amanda, Think Progress
Hate Israel? Yes We Can - Mark Hemingway, The Corner
Transportation Sec. Has Inappropriately Named Blog - Wonkette
Barack's 57 Varieties - Mark Steyn, The Corner
Smear Job - Mathew Yglesias
Obama Wants to Be Pres. of All 57 Sates - Top of The Ticket

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:
Where Did The Obama Web Rumors Come From - McClatchy
Jefferson Lawyer Cites Race in Venue Change Request - The Hill
Pragmatic Politics Forged on The South Side - New York Times

A possible break in the uncommitted superdelegate dam toward Barack Obama has bloggers buzzing going into the weekend. Speculation over which Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee broke ranks on a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) vote as well as news that Rep. Vito Fossella (R-N.Y.) may resign in the next 72 hours is also driving conversation.

So far this Friday the superdelegate scorecard is 7-0 in favor of Obama, First Read reports. Obama is “piling up” superdelegates TPM’s Eric Kleefeld writes noting that he will pass Hillary Clinton in all the varying superdelegate counts soon. Firedoglake’s Blue Texan hopes a major swing in superdelegates will end the contest between Clinton and Obama but isn’t counting on it.

Matt Stoeller wants to know whether Rep. Leonard Boswell (D-Iowa) or Rep. Bud Cramer (D-Ala.) sold out liberals on FISA. One of the two likely voted with Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee in favor of an amendment that would grant immunity to telecom companies. If it was Boswell, the blogger wants the Congressman’s liberal primary challenger Ed Fallon to hammer Boswell on the vote.

Late developing Friday is a report from WNBC’s blog that Fossella will likely resign in the next 72 hours. “Clock ticking for Vito?” David Kurtz asks. Even before WNBC’s report, James L. pointed out Fossella was not getting “the David Vitter treatment” from a local press corps that was demanding his resignation. Through a spokesman, Fossella denied to The Hill that his resignation is imminent.

FROM THE BLOGS:
Obama on Judges - Feddie, RedState
Fossella Resignation Could Be Coming Soon - WNBC DeDapper's Blog
Clinton Supporters Send Last-Ditch Attack Emails - The Huffington Post
Feds Probing Lawmakers Use of Staff - Paul Kiel, TPMMuckraker
Hillary Won't Quit - Ed Morrissey, Hot Air
Plame Asks Court to Resurrect Suit - Ben, Think Progress
FISA Capitulation Watch - Matt Stoeller, Open Left
The Day in Delegates: Obama 7-0 - First Read
Obama Takes Supers Lead - Blue Texan, Firedoglake
Unions Oppose Military Voting Bill - Soren Dayton, RedState
Dems Can Dish, But Can't Take It - John, Power Line
A Conservative Soros? - Michelle Malkin

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:
Analysis: Clinton Has Lost Her Fear Factor - The Hill
State Party Chairmen Meeting at Obama HQ - The Hill
For Obama, The Real Race Begins - Washington Post

Barack Obama is getting praised from the left for seizing the power of the Internet but blasted by the right for his tax policy. John McCain faces more questions over who he voted for in 2000 and whether he really opposes lobbyists. And Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) is taken to task for delaying money for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Matthew Yglesias celebrates Obama’s successful web organization and the 1 million volunteers it could net on Election Day, and Andrew Sullivan lauds the Illinois Democrat for using the Internet better than any candidate in history. While liberals note Obama’s grasp of the future, conservatives are kicking him old school: Obama has misled voters on the effect of letting the Bush tax cuts expire, Power Line’s Scott Johnson charges, while Townhall.com’s Matt Lewis says Obama forgot that tax brackets haven’t adjusted since the 1990’s, and that the result will be much higher taxes than Obama is promising.

Now that there’s three witnesses corroborating Arianna Huffington’s story about McCain’s vote against Bush in 2000, AMERICABLOG’s John Aravosis asks, does anyone believe McCain’s claims to the contrary? The Huffington Post says McCain lied to Bill O’Reilly yesterday when he told the Fox News anchor he had voted for Bush. And McCain is invulnerable to the charms of lobbyists, TPM Muckraker’s Paul Kiel says, after the Washington Post reported the Arizona Republican helped a rancher with a massive land swap.

RedState’s haystack has gone so far as to post a photo of Reid giving the finger in charging that Senate leader is holding America’s soldiers hostage by stalling the war funding bill. And House Republicans are being accused of voting against Mother’s Day at Think Progress, where Amanda Terkel blasts them for requesting a recorded vote on legislation honoring the goals of the longtime tradition.

FROM THE BLOGS:
Yet Another Shady Deal for McCain - Joe Subday, AMERICABLOG
McCain: Losing Bearing on the High Road? - Ed Morrissey, Hot Air
Primary Update: Game Still Over - Dean Barnett, The Weekly Standard
Clinton's Letter to Superdelegates - Marc Ambinder
Why Black Votes Don't Matter - Andrew Sullivan, The Daily Dish
The Next Lebanon War? - Hugh Hewitt, Townhall.com
Say No to Housing Bailout - Michelle Malkin
Obama and Unifying the Dems - Gary Andres, The Weekly Standard