March 17

With victory in the Illinois primary sending John Kerry formally over the delegate total required to seal the nomination, he continues to concentrate on what he sees as the Bush administration's "credibility gap".

Vice-President Dick Cheney fought back, accusing the Democratic nominee of flip-flopping over national security and defence issues.

As ABC's The Note points out, "when we're all talking national security, we're not talking jobs, the economy and health care."

The latest Bush TV ads go even further, saying Kerry had "voted against funding our soldiers". Kerry, for his part, promised to be a "veteran's veteran" as he goes about the task of maintaining a solid image among voters over national security.

The challenge of cementing Kerry as a President-in-waiting is laid at the feet of Mary-Beth Cahill, who's profiled nicely in the Washingon Post today.

Finally, it's worth checking out Spinsanity's head-to-head between Al Franken and Rich Lowery, an outgrowth of their original sparring on the National Review Online.