No constituency is more eager to see a woman win the presidency than America's feminists, yet — despite Hillary Rodham Clinton's historic candidacy — the women's movement finds itself wrenchingly divided over the Democratic race as it heads toward the finish.

Word of what some on Capitol Hill fear may become the next major congressional scandal is beginning to leak out.

The Justice Department apparently is investigating allegations that lawmakers illegally have used their staffs for campaign purposes or to handle such personal chores as cleaning legislators' homes and fetching their dry cleaning.

It appears that Barack Obama has survived a tough couple of weeks. In the words of some, he's shown that "he can take a punch."

But, frankly, I think Senator Obama is still getting kid gloves treatment from a press corps that tilts left.

Since when did "elite" become a pejorative word?

Hillary Rodham Clinton says she won't be swayed from her idea of a summer gasoline-tax holiday by "elite opinion," meaning the opinion of every serious economist who's looked at the proposal.

Liberal gadfly Michael Moore chides the Democrats for "doing the bidding of the corporate elite in this country."

Hillary Clinton's faltering campaign for the Democratic Presidential nomination is out of cash, short on hope and deeply in debt.

She has lent her campaign more than $11 million and may have to fork over more if she wants to stay in the raise.

Which brings up two questions: Can she afford to stay in the fight and, if she does, can she ever get her money back?

Sen. Barack Obama got a front-runner's welcome back at the Capitol Thursday, pressing congressional "superdelegates" to support him in a visit that had the look and feel of a campaign victory lap.

Kriss Riggs isn't one to spend her money on politicians.

"Even the place you can donate a dollar on your taxes, I refuse to do it," says the 60-year-old photographer from Blue River, Ore.

Likewise for Kate Schwartz, a 24-year-old marketing expert from Chicago. Past elections, she says, always seemed far removed from young people.

Perhaps Barack Obama's competitive juices need new outlets now that he has expanded his lead over Democratic presidential rival Hillary Rodham Clinton.

On a five-hour flight from Washington to Oregon late Thursday, the Illinois senator came to the back of his charter plane for a spirited word game against reporters, and it was clear he did not intend to lose.

Her voice raspy, her tone determined, Hillary Rodham Clinton urged her supporters Thursday to ignore the political pundits who have declared her toast.

And so, the what-if season begins.

It's hard to believe that it's over, but for Hillary Rodham Clinton, it is. She will not be president in 2009.

How did a "sure thing" a year ago turn into a what-might-have-been today?

Now that it seems certain Sen. Barack Obama, barring some catastrophic occurrence, will be the first African American to carry a major party banner into the presidential election, will he persevere all the way to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue?