Compiled by Jonathan Helman & Mary Grace Lucas

NY Times: ‘Almost Nominee’ Status Keeps Obama in Limbo
The contest with Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton not quite over and the one with Senator John McCain not quite under way, Senator Barack Obama is floating somewhere between the two major phases of his long campaign — a political limbo that brought him to this Republican hamlet on the night of a West Virginia primary he was expected to lose.

WSJ: Clinton's Win Brings Little Reward
Hillary Clinton trounced Barack Obama in West Virginia's Democratic presidential primary, as expected. But her negligible payback in convention delegates illustrates why her rival and her party are turning away from her candidacy to begin the fight against Republican John McCain.

The Hill: GOP Looking Past Bush
A growing number of Senate Republicans are preparing to break from President Bush on an emergency war-spending bill. It is the latest in a series of fights that demonstrate GOP willingness to look ahead to the next administration while ignoring the one still in office.

Washington Post: Democratic Victory May Be a Bellwether
A Democrat won the race for a GOP-held congressional seat in northern Mississippi yesterday, leaving the once-dominant House Republicans reeling from their third special-election defeat of the spring.

Washington Post: It's Finals Time For Student Superdelegates
All that online pressure, all the instant messages on AIM and Gchat, all those YouTube comments and Facebook messages and wall posts added up to something: Two more delegates for Sen. Barack Obama.

Politico: Obama Defeat Shows Need For Coalition
Barack Obama’s stinging defeat in West Virginia brings a sharp focus on the new coalition he may have to assemble to win the White House in November.

NY Times: In the Tracks of Ron Paul, a Candidate Goes Forth
Can Bob Barr become the next Ron Paul? Mr. Barr, a former Republican congressman from Georgia who on Monday announced his candidacy for the Libertarian Party nomination, certainly hopes so. It is a prospect that could give Senator John McCain’s campaign fits, threatening to siphon critical Republican votes away from him in important battleground states.

WSJ: Obama Has to Start From Scratch in Michigan
Barack Obama unofficially kicks off his campaign against John McCain Wednesday in Michigan, a state the Democrats have barely held onto in recent years and where they start at a big disadvantage.

Politico: Hillary Wins — Does Anybody Care?
If a tree falls in the forest when everybody expects it to fall, does it make a sound?

WSJ: McCain Consultant Is Tied To Work for Ukraine Party
A consultant to Sen. John McCain hired a public-relations firm last year to burnish the U.S. image of a Ukrainian political party backed by Russian leader Vladimir Putin, according to documents filed with the Justice Department. The work for the Ukrainian party represents the latest issue to arise for the McCain campaign involving aides' ties to foreign interests.

WSJ: Obama May Have His Work Cut Out for Him to Draw Independents
Barack Obama can't rest should he soon win Democrats' presidential-nomination marathon. His next big challenge: to introduce himself to the independents who may well decide the November election, and dispel the doubts and misinformation that have taken hold among many.

Washington Post: Obama, McCain Aim to Curb '527s'
Sen. Barack Obama's top fundraisers have asked his campaign donors to refrain from contributing to liberal independent political organizations in hopes of controlling the tone and message of the general-election campaign.

WSJ: Obama to Receive Endorsement Of 3 Former SEC Chairmen
Three former chairmen of the Securities and Exchange Commission will publicly endorse Democratic Sen. Barack Obama's bid for the presidency Wednesday, including one who served under President Bush.