The Dow just keeps climbing...

...while John McCain keeps losing staffers. Marc Ambinder and Chris Cillizza have more details.

President Bush called for a peace conference between Israel, the Palestinians and other major players in the region. Meanwhile, the administration got some unlikely support from U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who today warned against an abrupt U.S. withdrawal from Iraq.

Sen. David Vitter will make his first public speech since he revealed he was a client of the D.C. Madam at 6:05 (EST) at the Sheraton in Metairie, Louisiana, the Politico is reporting. UPDATE.

In New Orleans today, John Edwards stopped by the French Quarter as part of his poverty tour.

Fred Thompson has a one-point lead over Rudy Giuliani in the latest Rasmussen poll, despite the fact that officially he's still "testing the waters."

Oh, yeah, then why doesn't he lead the GOP pack in fundraising in South Carolina? Because John McCain does.

Joe Wilson endorsed Hillary Clinton on a conference call with bloggers this morning.

Elsewhere in Clintonland, Ben Smith notes that the campaign wrote a $20,000 check to Tom Vilsack's one-time presidential committee for "list expenses" (a list of Vilsack's supporters and donors).