A day into his tenure as the (semi) official Democrat candidate, Barack Obama's every word and action - even in the past - is coming under intense scrutiny.
By unfortunate coincidence for Hillary Clinton's vanquisher, after spending 12 days deliberating, a jury in Chicago chose yesterday to convict a former Obama fundraiser and friend Tony Rezko on 16 counts of corruption.
While Obama has long since cut his ties with Rezko, the Republicans were fast on the attack through Republican National Committee chairman Mike Duncan:
"Today's verdict and Obama's friendship with Rezko raise serious questions about whether he has the judgment to serve as president."
The rightwing National Review takes a similar line. Blogger Stephen Spruiell charges that while Obama was innocent of any criminality, he was "guilty of maintaining a close relationship with Rezko long after it had become clear that Rezko's primary business was buying and selling political influence for personal gain".
Back at the campaign coalface, Obama was busy trying to charmthe influential American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) lobby group, mocking the lurid - and unfounded - rumours swirling on internet about his supposed Islamic faith and anti-Israel views:
"All I want to say is, let me know if you see this guy named Barack Obama because he sounds pretty scary."
Over on Slate, the Trail Head blog is trying to disentangle Obama's language on Iran. Did his insistence to the AIPAC that he would only talk to Tehran if this would "advance the interests of the United States" mark a hardening of words?
Nonsense, the blog argues:
Isn't this sort of circular? Would a US president ever meet with another leader if he didn't think it advances the interest of the United States?
Away from Obama, two more things to note:
Headline of the day to the New York Post accompanying a prediction that Clinton is about to officially quit.
Meanwhile, out in John McCain's home state they have other things on their mind. At time of writing, the top headline on the Arizona Republic newspaper concerns cacti, while the main editorial praises the apparently all-conquering Arizona State University softball team.
