Fallout from the continuing Barack Obama-Jeremiah Wright controversy continues to fascinate bloggers, as do reports that Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii) is helping GOP Senator Ted Stevens (Alaska) raise money, and news that Al Franken owes back taxes.

Travis Childers, a Democrat running for a House seat in Mississippi, is running ads to prove he is not endorsed by Obama, leading bloggers to suggest he’s the latest victim in the Wright controversy. Marc Ambinder notes this time Obama is on the other side of “guilt by association.”

Inouye is getting heat from liberal bloggers for crossing the aisle to headline the Stevens’ fundraiser s.  Jane Hamsher from firedoglake writes “Delightful. Who needs a supermajority anyway?” Swing State Project blogger James L. wonders if it is time the Hawaii Senator “re-take his Democratic loyalty oath?”

Franken, meanwhile, is getting grief for having to pay $70,000 in back taxes and penalties to 17 states. RedState’s Jean Sierra recalls the 2006 stories about Harry Reid’s land deals and writes “apparently, if you’re a Democrat, taxation is voluntary.” A local Minnesota blogger points to the news as symptomatic of the “colossal blunder” the Franken campaign committed by not hiring an independent opposition researcher.

And Vice President Dick Cheney is doing everything he can not to save the whales, writes Paul Kiel of TPMMuckraker.

FROM THE BLOGS:
HRC on O'Reilly - The Huffington Post
Wright & Obama - Ramesh Ponnuru, The Corner
Clinton on O'Reilly - Chris Cillizza, The Fix
Obama's Name Now Toxic - Marc Ambinder
Miss. Dem. Distances Self from Obama - The Page
Al Franken Implements Reid's Tax Strategy - Jean Sierra, RedState
Why Is Inouye Helping Sen. Toobz? - Jane Hamsher, firedoglake
Inouye Sells Out Party - James L., Swing State Project
Cheney's Office: (Do Not) Saves The Whales - Paul Kiel, TPMMuckraker
Obama Balls - Top of The Ticket
After Pa. Part II - Hendrick Hertzberg
An Introduction to Blogging - Jeffrey Goldberg

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:
When Dems Go Post-al - Vanity Fair
Fed Cuts a Quarter - New York Times
Obama's Sweaty Platform - Newsweek

Inspired by the Super Bowl-winning New York Giants visiting the White House Wednesday, President Bush indulged in a little trash talk with Democrats.

"We're going to send Jessica Simpson to the Democrat National Convention," Bush said, reports Us Magazine.

The president was indeed referring to the starlet and girlfriend of Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, whose team lost to the Giants in the play-offs.  Several Cowboy fans had blamed Simpson's Mexican vacation with Romo in days before the playoff game for the Cowboys' loss.

Along with Iraq war veterans and concerned citizens, Iraq Campaign 2008 says it will unfurl a 50-foot replica "Mission Accomplished" banner at the White House tomorrow, marking the five-year anniversary of President Bush's now-infamous speech.

The unfurling is slated to occur at 10:30 a.m. on Pennsylvania Ave.

On May 1, 2003, President Bush declared an end to major U.S. combat operations in Iraq (see the speech here) aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, anchored off the coast of San Diego. The ship bore a large banner that read "Mission Accomplished." CNN reported that, in October 2003, reporters pressed the White House on the banner, as U.S. casualties in Iraq had risen; the White House responded that the banner had been placed by the Navy.

Americans United for Change will begin airing a radio ad in Las Vegas tomorrow that attacks Nevada Republicans Rep. Jon Porter and Sen. John Ensign for voting against the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act.

Porter voted against the bill when it passed the House in July, and Ensign voted against a motion to consider the bill in the Senate last week. The Senate motion failed.

The bill seeks to combat pay discrepancies for women and minorities. Americans United for Change says the ad will run for the rest of this week and most of next week. Listen to the ad here.

Both Democratic candidates hold leads over John McCain in the latest Monmouth University poll of likely voters in New Jersey. But the results give Barack Obama more reason to be optimistic than his Democratic rival.

Obama leads McCain 56 percent to 32 percent, while Hillary Clinton, who won the state's February primary, leads the Republican 52 percent to 38 percent.

“It appears that less than three months after giving Hillary Clinton a 10 point victory in the state’s primary, some New Jersey voters feel buyer’s remorse,” said Patrick Murray, the poll's director. “Many state Democrats are concerned that the prolonged battle could hobble their party’s eventual nominee in November.”

A large number of Democrats, 39 percent of them, said they're concerned that the prolonged nomination fight will hurt their candidate in November, while only 13 percent said it would help. Obama's lead is larger than Clinton's largely to support from independents.

Much of Obama's strength comes from independent voters; he leads McCain among them by 17 points, while Clinton has an insignificant one-point lead.

Fox News has released a segment of the much anticipated Hillary Clinton appearence on Bill O'Reilly's program. In the segment, Clinton calls the Reverend Jeremiah Wrights comments "offensive" and "outragous."

Here is the partial transcript, obtained by ABC:

O'Reilly: "Can you believe this Rev. Wright guy? Can you believe this guy?"
Clinton: "Well, I'm going to leave it up to voters to decide."
O'Reilly: "Well, what do you think as an American?"
Clinton: "Well, what I said when I was asked directly is that I would not have stayed in the church.
O'Reilly: "You're an American citizen, I'm an American citizen, He's an American citizen, Rev. Wright. What do you think when you hear a fellow American citizen say that kind of stuff about America."
Clinton: "Well, I take offense. I think it's offensive and outrageous. I'm going to express my opinion, others can express theirs. It is part of just, you know, an atmosphere we're in today."

House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio), honorary chairman of The Freedom Project, today announced that the group would send out bumper stickers reading "America Can't Afford the Pelosi Premium," blaming the speaker for rising gas prices.

The bumper sticker will go out to anyone who signs the group's online petition calling on Democrats to reveal a promised plan to lower gas prices.

"Tired of paying nearly $4 for a gallon of gas?" Boehner asked today in a statement. "Had enough of politicians who think you should pay even more? Then it’s time to let Democrats know you can’t afford the Pelosi Premium."

See the release here.

Barack Obama is picking up the support of three superdelegates in the House on Wednesday.

Both Reps. Lois Capps (D-Calif.) and Bruce Braley (D-Iowa) were drawn to Obama's message of unity in announcing their endorsements. Rep. Baron Hill (D-Ind.) will also endorse the Illinois senator on Wednesday, according to the Bloomington (Ind.) Herald-Times.

Braley, a freshman House member, noted the excitement Obama generated among voters in the Iowa caucuses.

"In this same spirit, I believe there's one candidate for President who has the ability to unite our country and bring about the change we need," he said in a statement.

Capps, a six-term congresswoman and chairwoman of the Democratic Women's Working Group, said that she's backing Obama because "he has made a call to the better angels of our nature."

Capps acknowledged Hillary Clinton as a someone who would make "a great president" and whose election would fulfill "a life-long dream" for those who have fought for women's rights. But she said that Obama's message of unity won her over.

"He is challenging us to lift ourselves out of the ugliness that increasingly consumes Washington, where the heat of your argument counts for more than the light it should bring," Capps said in a statement. "He is asking us to stand together as Americans and transcend the traditional lines that have so often divided us by party affiliation, economic status, gender, or race."

Read more of Capps's endorsement announcement after the jump.
> Read More

The race for superdelegates, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal’s (R) growing star power, and the DNC’s credibility are leading the blogs today.

Matthew Yglesias notes the pace of superdelegate endorsements picking up and urges undecideds to pick someone soon. Taegan Goddard, meanwhile, says the race for shoring up the critical endorsements is more or less over.

The Corner’s John J. Millier is calling Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) a “rising star” after Jindal’s appearance on The Tonight Show last night. Michelle Malkin is also singing Jindal’s praises, calling him authentic. Malkin found Leno’s mockery of Indian accents decidedly less charming.

RedState’s California Yankee accuses NC Chairman Howard Dean of being “less than truthful” after FactCheck.org verified complaints that the DNC misrepresented John McCain in its new TV ad. Hot Air’s Ed Morrissey picks up on FactCheck.org’s report as well, saying the Democratic Party is showing its well-earned inferiority complex.

In Senate news, Daily Kos’ Bill in Portland Maine notes that Human Rights Campaign has endorsed Susan Collins (R-Maine), a conservative who voted for Roberts and Alito, instead of Rep. Tom Allen (D-Maine), and that “stinks like a crate of week-old fish.”

FROM THE BLOGS:
Cheney: (Do Not) Save the Whales - Paul Kiel, TPM Muckraker
Why U.S. Needed the Voter ID Decision - Soren Dayton, RedState
Obama' Rivals Pander on Gas Tax - Glenn Reynolds, Instapundit
Webb: McCain Is 'So Full of It' - Ben Armbruster, ThinkProgress
McCaskill: Most Members Support Obama - Allahpundit, Hot Air
Buyer's Remorse in New Jersey - Andrew Sullivan, The Daily Dish
Huck Helps Private School Effort - Matt Lewis, Townhall.com
'New Options' to Attack Iran - Faiz Shakir, ThinkProgress
Al Franken Doesn't Pay Taxes - Kevin Kusinitz, The Weekly Standard
GSA Chief Resigns - Paul Kiel, TPM Muckraker
McCaskill: Congressional Support Battle Over - Eric Kleefeld, TPM Election Central

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:
MoveOn Launching Ad Campaign against McCain - The Hill
White House: U.S. Growth 'Nothing to Crow About' - AFP
GSA Chief Resigns at White House's Request - Wash Post

The presidential candidates and their surrogates will appear on a variety of TV shows over the next few days, reports The Hill's Emily Goodin:

Cindy McCain, the wife of presumptive Republican nominee John McCain, will be on NBC’s “Tonight Show” this evening.

Barack Obama and wife Michelle will appear in a taped interview on NBC’s “Today Show” on Thursday morning. Meredith Vieira will conduct the interview in Indianapolis and portions will air on tonight’s “Nightly News.”

Sen. Obama will also appear on NBC’s “Meet the Press” for the full hour on Sunday. The show will originate out of Indianapolis.

And Hillary Clinton was interviewed by Fox News Channel’s Bill O’Reilly in South Bend, Ind., this morning. The interview will air on the “The O’Reilly Factor” in two parts on Wednesday and Thursday.