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We don't have to wait for a full-fledged preview of the general election: John mcCain and barack Obama are giving us plenty to chew on already, especially on the foreign policy front in which the debate will be a semantical joust of how to define strength, diplomacy and guts.
Here's McCain today:
" I welcome a debate about protecting America. No issue is more important. Senator Obama claimed all I had to offer was the 'naive and irresponsible belief' that tough talk would cause Iran to give up its nuclear program. He should know better. I have some news for Senator Obama: Talking, not even with soaring rhetoric, in unconditional meetings with the man who calls Israel a 'stinking corpse' and arms terrorist who kill Americans will not convince Iran to give up its nuclear program. It is reckless to suggest that unconditional meetings will advance our interests.
"It would be a wonderful thing if we lived in a world where we don't have enemies. But that is not the world we live in, and until Senator Obama understands that reality, the American people have every reason to doubt whether he has the strength, judgment, and determination to keep us safe."

In a telling and forceful rebuttal, Obama said:
"Here's the truth: the Soviet Union had thousands of nuclear weapons, and Iran doesn't have a single one. But when the world was on the brink of nuclear holocaust, Kennedy talked to Khrushchev and he got those missiles out of Cuba. Why shouldn't we have the same courage and the confidence to talk to our enemies? That's what strong countries do, that's what strong presidents do, that's what I'll do when I'm president of the United States of America." One of the parting shots may set the tone of the campaign, one that hsows Obama's strength as a strong counter-puncher: "What are George Bush and John McCain afraid of"?

Allen lowers the boom
In the Maine U.S. Senate race, the Democratic contender Rep. Tom Allen has taken it to popular incumbent Susan Collins. Like most Republicans, Collins was vitually asleeep at the wheel while the Bush administration had its way and Allen is attacking her for holding only one hearing on Iraq war contract fraud and waste as chair of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs chairman from 2003 until early 2007 -- despite no shortage of news stories and government-issued reports on the mess. Collins defended herself and said tthe committee has actually conducted significant work. Allen would like to tie Collins to the Bush administration that turned more than a blind eye to such practices -- they actively encouraged it. Here's the Portland Press Herald story that fleshes it out.

SuperD Tide
According to TPM, Obama had a net gain of SuperD and delgate additions over the weekend (5 for Obama and 3 for Clinton) and Monday, the campaign announced that Washington state Dem Party Chairman Dwight Pelz has joined the fold. (SUPERD AFTERNOON UPDATE) Sen. Robert Byrd of West Virginia, the state Clinton won in a rout last week, has announced his support for Obama. The Senate's most senior member said in a statement: "I believe that Barack Obama is a shining young statesman, who possesses the personal temperament and courage necessary to extricate our country from this costly misadventure in Iraq, and to lead our nation at this challenging time in history. Barack Obama is a noble-hearted patriot and humble Christian, and he has my full faith and support."
Obama also added Kansas Democratic Party Chair Larry Gates who cited Obama's proven ability to win in red states and his positive campaign for change.
Here's the campaign latest delegate tally: "Sen. Obama has been endorsed by 302.5 super delegates. He is 111 delegates away from securing the Democratic nomination."

Not so fast
Obama is expected to be in Iowa tomorrow campaigning as the votes and results from Kentucky and Oregon. The campaign swears that there's no chance that Obama will declare victory tomorrow night (he will likely secure the majority of pledged delegates), the Iowa stop seems like a nice media bookend.
But Hillary Clinton is still out there, alive and kicking and she's planning a big victory rally in Louisville, Ky. tomorrow night (to celebrate a likely big victory there). Her communications guru Howard Wolfson sent out this notice to reporters today:
There is no scenario under the rules of the Democratic National Committee by which Senator Obama will be able to claim the nomination tomorrow night. He will not have 2210 delegates, the number needed with Florida and Michigan included in the process, nor will he have 2025 delegates, the number needed to secure the nomination without Florida and Michigan.
Premature victory laps and false declarations of victory are unwarranted. Declaring mission accomplished does not make it so.
While Senator Obama inaccurately declares himself the nominee, Senator Clinton will continue to work hard, campaigning for every vote in the upcoming states and making the case that she will be the best nominee to take on John McCain and be our next President.
The question is: Is anyone listening?

Nice advance work
It's hard to imagine a political rally drawing some 75,000 two days before voting day in a tight general election battle, much less one at the end of long primary season (in which the final chapter has been mostly written) but that's what the Obama campaign did yesterday in Portland, Ore. We don't know if it foreshadows anything for the general election fight but it couldn't have been a good sight for Republicans.