In the Headlines:

"Ex-Bush aide's criticisms stun a team built on loyalty" (David Jackson and Richard Wolf, USA Today) - It's not unusual for a former White House official to write a book -- but it is when the author is a fellow Texan and he's attacking President Bush for his handling of Iraq...

"Florida and Michigan May See Delegates Halved" (Katharine Seelye, New York Times) - An analysis by lawyers for the Democratic Party says party rules call for Florida and Michigan to lose at least half their delegate strength at the party's convention in August, an outcome that could close off Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton's last opportunity to cut significantly into Senator Barack Obama's lead in delegates...

"McCain challenges Obama to visit Iraq" (Maeve Reston and Scott Martelle, Los Angeles Times) - Speaking with evident condescension, Arizona Sen. John McCain needled Barack Obama on Wednesday by offering to travel to Iraq with the Illinois senator to help him gain a better understanding of the war and the consequences of withdrawing troops...

"On Policy, Obama Breaks Little New Ground" (Perry Bacon Jr., Washington Post) - Obama has not emphasized any signature domestic issue, or signaled that he would take his party in a specific direction on policy, as Bill Clinton did with his "New Democrat" proposals in 1992 that emphasized welfare reform or as George W. Bush did with his "compassionate conservatism" in 2000, when he called on Republicans to focus more on issues such as education...

On the Morning Shows:

Good Morning America - Ari Fleischer responded to Scott McClellan's accusations in his new book: "It makes me wonder, did Scott ever believe the things he said from the podium? Which Scott is the real one? The most salacious accusations here deal with the lead up to the war in Iraq and the war in Iraq. During these times I was the Press Secretary, Scott was the Deputy Press Secretary in charge of domestic issues. He shouldn't have been in those loops, he wouldn't have been."

"I think Scott left on a bad note, and certainly Scott had a difficult tenure while he was there because of other issues involving the CIA leak case and I think he's now taking that out on the President and I don't think that's right. And I think he's inventing facts after he left now to say that the President manipulated information."
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Fox and Friends - Fleischer: "[McClellan] has crossed the Rubicon. He's going to have to live with this."

Morning Joe - Dan Bartlett, on the president's reaction to McClellan's book: "I think it's safe to say that he's disappointed, like all of us are, and, quite frankly, surprised."

Obama communications director Robert Gibbs, on Obama going to Iraq: "It's under discussion...I don't think we'll be taking that trip with John McCain."

(Greg Bobrinskoy contributed to the Morning Report.)