COLUMBUS, Ohio - The 2013 crystal ball in John McCain’s hands says Iraq still may be suffering from decades of sectarian tension, but it will be “a functioning democracy.” He says there may be “spasmodic” violence there and in Afghanistan but it will be considerably reduced. He also predicts that Osama bin Laden will either be dead or captured.

That’s all according to the Associated Press, who is reporting that McCain outlined what “voters can expect by the end of his first term if they elect him president.”

His promises included curbing government spending. He also said he will need help and that the ”mindless, paralyzing rancor” of politics on both sides of the aisle must stop so that problems can be solved. 

His plan also includes weekly news conferences and British-style question periods in joint meetings of Congress, the AP said.

COLUMBIA, S.C. - Barack Obama’s nod from John Edwards Wednesday is paying off — big time.

According to the Associated Press, Obama has picked up four of Edwards’ delegates and the approval of the United Steelworkers Union, which has 600,000 active members.

All that means Obama’s delegate total is only 134 short of those needed to get the nomination. Edwards has 19 delegates in three states. The AP says those delegates can choose whomever they want, “but several have said Edwards’ endorsement is important to their decision.”

As worded in a press release to the media:

WASHINGTON – Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairman Robert M. “Mike” Duncan released the following statement today:

“Barack Obama and John Edwards share an out-of-touch agenda that would raise taxes on families while cutting funding for our troops.  The only question is why didn’t Edwards endorse sooner?  Edwards’ endorsement of a candidate he previously blasted as inexperienced, hypocritical, and lacking substance will not help Obama with voters looking for real change.” (more…)

DEARBORN, Mich. (AP) - Democrat John Edwards has given his long-awaited endorsement to Barack Obama.

It’s a major boost from a former presidential rival as Obama tries to shrug off Hillary Rodham Clinton, who is determined to press ahead.

Edwards was to appear with Obama in Grand Rapids, Mich., as Obama campaigns in a critical general election battleground.

The endorsement comes the day after Clinton defeated Obama by more than 2-to-1 in West Virginia. The loss highlighted Obama’s work to win over the “Hillary Democrats” - white, working-class voters who also supported Edwards in large numbers before he exited the race.

Edwards, a former North Carolina senator and the 2004 vice presidential nominee, dropped out of the race in late January.