Interesting column by Robert Novak on why the McCain camp may be worried about so-called "Obamacons," conservatives leaning towards Obama in '08. (Novak did not coin the term.) He names Chuck Hagel and Colin Powell as the most high profile members of the growing group, with people like Jack Kemp and noted supply-side economists Bruce Bartlett and Larry Hunter also possibly among the ranks.

So what is an Obamacon? Not what you think. They're not to be confused with the Obamamaniacs, those voters caught up in the primary frenzy, sporting buttons and spouting JFK comparisons. No, it's not that the Obamacons are so enthralled with the Illinois senator, and they don't even dislike John McCain. They're just so disgusted with the Republican Party and the Bush Administration that they believe the GOP deserves to be trounced in November. The idea I guess is to destroy all vestiges of the woeful Bush years and rebuild anew.

Explaining his support for the uncompromisingly liberal Obama, Hunter blogged on June 6: "The Republican Party is a dead rotting carcass with a few decrepit old leaders stumbling around like zombies in a horror version of 'Weekend With Bernie,' handcuffed to a corpse."

McCain should be concerned, Novak says, because on Election Day the "therapeutic electoral bloodbath could get out of control." What if Obamaconitis is catching and spreads throughout the party? What if Republicans by the throngs suddenly realize self-flagellation is the best way to repent for the sins of the past eight years?

Think that's unlikely? Here's something even more far-fetched. Novak ends the column by stating that Obamacons "should cause soul-searching at the Bush White House about who made the Republican Party so difficult a place for Republicans to stay." Soul-searching at the White House? That'll be the day.

The outlook must be bleak for the GOP if that's what they're wishing for in November. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on CNN:

Over the weekend both John McCain and Barack Obama delivered speeches to an Hispanic group in Washington and their messages were remarkably similar. Each candidate called for "comprehensive" reform to current U.S. immigration policies and push for a temporary worker program. McCain called the issue his "top priority yesterday, today, and tomorrow." Not to be outdone, Obama vowed that immigration reform would be "one of my priorities on my first day" in the White House. It was enough to make Tom Tancredo see red.

McCain and Obama both backed measures that were blocked by hardline Republicans in Congress that would have given undocumented foreign workers a path toward citizenship.

Where the two candidates diverge is on border security. McCain has shifted his focus and now says securing the border should be the first priority, though he hasn't given any details on what that would mean exactly or how it would be achieved. Eventually they're both going to have to get a lot more specific.

The weekend's speeches were a first glimpse in how each candidate will be going after Latino voters. Expect to see much more along those lines in the months to come.

Republican Chuck Hagel has made no secret of his affection for Barack Obama, but in an interview today on Bloomberg TV the Nebraska senator goes even further. Hagel, always a thorn in the side of the GOP, says he would consider serving in a Cabinet under a President Obama. Hagel, who sits on the Foreign Relations Committee, could be a candidate for Defense Secretary.

Hagel broke with his party over the war in Iraq, which he called a "catastrophic mistake." He voted with Democrats to withdraw troops and against President Bush's troop buildup in Iraq last year.

Hagel criticized McCain for saying that Obama, the Democrats' likely presidential nominee, misunderstands the war in Iraq and was wrong to oppose the troop buildup. Hagel called McCain's criticism a "superfluous, gratuitous political comment."

Hagel admits he doesn't agree with Obama on every issue, he simply disagrees with McCain more often. Despite leaning towards the Democrat this time around, Hagel says he has no plans to abandon the Republican Party.

Is there a bigger mortgage scandal a'brewin' in Washington? By now you've read about Senators Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) and Kent Conrad (D-N.D.), who -- they say unknowingly -- received VIP treatment on their home loans from Countrywide. Now Politico is wondering how widespread the problem is. Politico has asked all 100 senators to reveal the details of their mortgages. "Seventy-seven senators have complied so far. Twenty-three have not."

Senate ethics experts say the controversy over the special mortgages received by Dodd and Conrad has opened a window into the clubby world where senators can dial up major banking executives and discuss their financial needs, as Conrad did.

"This short list of senators who did not disclose is where I would start an investigation," said Keith Ashdown, a vice president of Taxpayers for Common Sense. By failing to disclose, he said, senators are "not only in the cross hairs of investigators, but they're also making this a political issue in an election year, because it looks like they have something to hide."

Right now senators don't have to disclose home loan details unless they're getting rental income from the property, but now with the Dodd and Conrad controversies Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid wants to change the rules and make such information public.

It's his first TV commercial of the general election, airing in 18 states. In it he speaks about how his family shaped his values growing up, leading him to choose a life in public service. Check it out and tell us what you think:

Al Gore came out for Barack Obama last night at a giant rally in Detroit. Some estimates had the crowd at 20,000. The former vice president gave a fairly rousing speech that threatened to overshadow Obama's (where were these oratorical skills back when he was running for president?). Watch for yourself:

What do you think? Does Gore's endorsement mean anything for Obama in the long run?

Was there really a time when Rudy Giuliani was the GOP front runner? Surely that occurred in some alternate reality, right? These days Rudy is unemployed, aimless and deep in debt. To help get rid of some of that red ink, not to mention get back in the public eye, he has come up with an unorthodox idea. Rudy's offering to appear at fund raisers for Republican candidates... as long as some of the cash drummed up ends up in his coffers. That's right, he wants a percentage of the money he helps raise.

The unusual request underscores the financial predicament Mr. Giuliani finds himself in, after he ended his presidential bid this year with roughly $3.6 million in campaign debt. Traditionally, prominent party figures help lower-tier candidates by headlining fund-raising events in return for good will and future political alliances, but do not receive funds themselves.

Mr. Giuliani's debt includes a $500,000 personal loan that he made to the campaign, according to his latest campaign finance report.

Giuliani's plan is not sitting well with some GOP officials, who accuse him, anonymously, of selfishly trying to take money desperately needed by local candidates:

"In a year when our candidates are struggling to raise money, this is just another burden," said a leading Republican Party strategist, who was briefed about the mayor's request. "This is not about helping the party. This is about helping Rudy Giuliani."

Neither the GOP nor Giuliani's campaign is saying how many candidates have taken Rudy up on his cash grab. I'm betting that's because none have.

Earlier I told you about certain Democratic members of Congress who are staying as far away from Barack Obama as possible this election season. Well on the other side of the aisle there are a number of Republicans who won't be getting behind John McCain's candidacy. They've been dubbed the "new gang of 14," a reference to the group of lawmakers, including McCain, who broke with conservatives on President Bush's judicial nominations. Not surprisingly, most of them lean sharply right and aren't thrilled with McCain's stances on issues like campaign finance reform, immigration, taxes, etc. One man's maverick is another man's liberal. The Hill has a partial list:

Republican members who have not endorsed or publicly backed McCain include Sens. Chuck Hagel (Neb.) and Jeff Sessions (Ala.) and Reps. Jones, Peterson, John Doolittle (Calif.), Randy Forbes (Va.), Wayne Gilchrest (Md.), Virgil Goode (Va.), Tim Murphy (Pa.), Ron Paul (Texas), Ted Poe (Texas), Todd Tiahrt (Kan.), Dave Weldon (Fla.) and Frank Wolf (Va.). [Wolf contacted The Hill following publication of the article to correct his staff's error. His staff had said he has "yet to endorse McCain" and did not return follow-up phone calls this week].

Rep. Tom Tancredo of Colorado went as far as to say publicly, "I don't like McCain. I don't like him at all." But most of them make sure to underline the distinction between endorsing and supporting, saying while they won't take to the streets for McCain they do want a Republican in the White House, even if it's the wrong one.

There are a number of incumbent Democrats in Congress who aren't caught up in the throes of Obamamania. That's because their own re-election hopes may hinge on how much they're able to distance themselves from the presumptive Dem nominee:

Some are counting on Republican votes in their re-election bids. Some are newly minted and in rematches with 2006 opponents. Some may be wary of how their constituents will react to a black presidential candidate. Some, too, have made it a practice of distancing themselves from the national party, fearing the inevitable campaign ad that has their face morphing into Howard Dean, the party chairman, and Obama.

Rep. Dan Boren, the only congressional Democrat in Oklahoma, calls Obama "the most liberal senator" in Congress and says he has no plans to make a public endorsement.

"We're much more conservative" in eastern Oklahoma, Boren said. "I've got to reflect my district."

Boren's among about a dozen other lawmakers who won't be endorsing Senator Obama. But none of them are likely to back John McCain either. Most are in vulnerable seats in conservative districts and they've decided their best bet campaign tactic is to just lay low and not endorse any presidential candidate. As Georgia Rep. Jim Marshall puts it: "I don't think I need to get involved."