Wednesday Evening Rundown

The DSCC has released a scorching new web ad highlighting Republican Senators' own comments on Iraq, illustrating both how wrong GOP Senators have been and how committed they are to the Bush-McCain policy of endless war:

Idaho: Republican Idaho Senator Mike Crapo has publicly commented in support of Larry Craig's efforts to clear his name. So why hasn't Republican Senate candidate and Idaho Lt. Gov. Jim Risch done likewise?

Oregon: Here's another bad omen for Republican Gordon Smith: the Oregon Republican Party is over a quarter-million dollars in debt, including $35,000 owed to the IRS for "about two years' worth of payroll taxes it failed to pay for its employees." In other news, the Portland Tribune offers a glowing profile of Speaker Jeff Merkley as he juggles a Senate campaign with leading an accomplished state House while enjoying only a one-vote Democratic majority.

Nebraska: Rumor has it that Democrat Scott Kleeb will join the 2008 Senate race next week. Fact has it that, on Monday, Kleeb will announce... something.

Oklahoma: State Senator Andrew Rice will liveblog on Firedoglake this Saturday at 2pm Eastern, 1pm Central. He will, of course, discuss his 2008 Senate bid to oust anachronism Jim "In Denial" Inhofe.

North Carolina: Public Policy Polling's latest numbers see Elizabeth Dole's approve-disapprove at a lousy 43-32, but she still manages to cling to the 50% mark against her Democratic challengers, leading State Senator Kay Hagan 50-33 and businessman Jim Neal 50-29. Part of the explanation for the gap between Dole and the Dems is the Dems' lag with key constituencies. Both Democrats have the support of less than 55% of registered Democrats and less than 45% of African-Americans. Meanwhile, Dole has filed the paperwork to make her re-election bid official.

New Mexico: Republican Congresscritters Steve Pearce and Heather Wilson matched up in a GOP Senate primary debate yesterday, and the mud flew. Wilson attacked Pearce for a vote against more funding for border patrol agents and a vote for a plan that included the closure of a local Air Force base. Pearce painted Wilson as the big spending, big government type not welcome in real Republican circles. Man, this primary is fun! In other news, Pearce apparently thinks that legalizing same-sex marriage will lead to legalized pedophilia. Class act.

Good for Stanford University! Let's hope other fancy-pants universities with huge endowments follow this model and make top-notch educations more affordable.