Progress Illinois

The White House was none too happy about the publication of former press secretary Scott McClellan's tell-all memoir, in which he criticizes President Bush for engaging in “self-deception” to justify his political ends. Karl Rove compared McClellan to a "left-wing blogger" while current press secretary Dana Perino opined that her predecessor "is disgruntled about his experience at the White House,” adding: "This is not the Scott we knew.”

While the Democratic National Committee is trying to work out a compromise to the long-running dispute over Michigan and Florida before a party meeting Saturday, Barack Obama's campaign says it's willing to give rival Hillary Clinton the majority of each states' delegates. Clinton has been insistent that the DNC seat all 368 delegates, in spite of the violation each state party perpetrated.

Obama says he is considering a trip to Iraq, where he hasn't been since he traveled as part of a congressional delegation in January 2006. John McCain, who has visited the country eight times since the war began, chided Obama earlier this week, even suggesting they travel together, a plan Obama nixed because he didn't want to be involved in "a political stunt."

Gov. Blagojevich, who "always sees the glass as half full," is hopeful that the General Assembly will pass a $31 billion statewide construction program before Saturday's budget deadline. But speaker Michael Madigan is said have "serious concerns" about the plan, including the state's long-term lease of the lottery, and House Democrats say there is little to no chance the plan will be approved.

If a capital plan and budget are approved, there are sure to be concerns about whether the money will be used effectively. According to a state audit, the Illinois Office of Management and Budget improperly awarded state contracts and had difficulty monitoring others.

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To aid consumers struggling at the pump and transit riders tired of long waits, the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation pressured City Hall to implement a Paris-style bike rental program that Mayor Daley has pushed for months. "It's frustrating," said Federation executive director Rob Sadowsky. "Our expectation was this would be up and running in June."

Hizzoner is more accustomed to speaking at high school graduations, but Northwestern University tapped Mayor Richard Daley as their commencement speaker this year, angering students who were hoping for a speaker with more prestige, such as the Dalai Lama. "If your goal in the speaker selection process was to make graduating seniors happy about leaving this university," a student wrote to Northwestern President Henry Bienen, "then mission accomplished.