IN THE HEADLINES

Obama wins endorsements from 5 superdelegates and government employees union ... Lieberman: McCain's bearings are just fine ... Even when it's just for fun, Obama parries media and plays to win ... McCain disputes blogger report that he voted against Bush ... Clinton vows to keep running, calls on Obama to debate her again

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Obama picks ups 5 superdelegates, union endorsement

WASHINGTON (AP) _ Barack Obama all but erased Hillary Rodham Clinton's once-imposing lead among national convention superdelegates on Friday and won fresh labor backing as elements of the Democratic Party began coalescing around the Illinois senator for the fall campaign.

Obama picked up the backing of five superdelegates, including Rep. Donald Payne of New Jersey, a member of the Congressional Black Caucus who had been a Clinton supporter.

In addition, the American Federation of Government Employees announced its support for Obama. The union claims about 600,000 members who work in the federal and Washington, D.C., governments.

Obama, who won a convincing victory in the North Carolina primary and lost Indiana narrowly on Tuesday, has been steadily gaining strength in the days since.

Clinton also gained a superdelegate.

The developments left the former first lady with 271.5 superdelegates, to 268 for Obama. Little more than four months ago, on the eve of the primary season, she held a lead of 169-63.

Besides Payne, Rep. Peter DeFazio of Oregon and two members of the Democratic National Committee from California announced they were supporting Obama.

"The election is over, everybody knows that. Obama has won," said Vernon Watkins, one of the two.

So, too, John Gage, president of the AFGE.

"Our people, I think, recognize the enthusiasm and vitality behind Senator Obama's campaign," he said in a statement.

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Lieberman comes to McCain's defense

JERSEY CITY, N.J. (AP) _ Democrat Barack Obama may think Republican John McCain has lost his bearings. A McCain friend begs to differ.

"I just want to report that this morning, I personally checked John McCain's bearings. He has not lost any of them," Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman told reporters Friday.

Obama had suggested McCain was "losing his bearings" for suggesting the Islamic terrorist group Hamas preferred Obama for president: "For him to toss out comments like that, I think, is an example of him losing his bearings as he pursues this nomination," Obama told CNN on Thursday.

A McCain adviser accused Obama of trying to make an issue of McCain's age, a touchy subject because McCain, who turns 72 in August, would be the oldest person to be sworn in as president if elected.

"He used the words 'losing his bearings' intentionally, a not-particularly-clever way of raising John McCain's age as an issue," McCain adviser Mark Salter said.

For his part, McCain said he didn't care what Obama said.

"I ignore it; I don't take offense to it," McCain told reporters before touring the Liberty Science Center in Jersey City, N.J.

Lieberman was the 2000 Democratic vice presidential nominee but switched parties to become an independent. He has been campaigning with McCain.

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Beat the Press: High-flying Obama plays to win

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) _ Perhaps Barack Obama's competitive juices need new outlets now that he has expanded his lead over Democratic presidential rival Hillary Rodham Clinton.

On a five-hour flight from Washington to Oregon late Thursday, the Illinois senator came to the back of his charter plane for a spirited word game against reporters, and it was clear he did not intend to lose.

In "Taboo," a player under time constraints must prompt teammates to guess words or names without using obvious hints. For instance, in giving clues for "equator," the player is penalized if he says "Earth," "center" or "line."

Obama and a half-dozen aides took on a team of journalists, mostly young TV network reporters who have traveled with him for months. The senator jumped in eagerly and often.

When his communications director Robert Gibbs gave the clue, "I've got a good," Obama called out, "vibration!"

"Shorter than that," Gibbs said.

"Vibe," Obama guessed correctly.

Many clues touched on politics. Campaign aide Jen Psaki asked about something President Bush said on an aircraft carrier, and Obama quickly answered "mission accomplished." Close, but another aide and teammate, Reggie Love, later got the right answer: "mission control."

When Obama was giving clues, he ventured: "Thomas Jefferson called for it once in a while." Seeing the blank looks, he admitted, "that's too obscure." He then tried, "the Beatles did a song about it," and a teammate correctly answered, "Revolution."

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McCain says he voted for Bush

JERSEY CITY, N.J. (AP) _ Republican John McCain on Friday disputed blogger Arianna Huffington's contention that she heard him say he voted against President Bush in 2000.

In a report, Huffington insisted she heard McCain say, at a Los Angeles dinner party after the 2000 election, he had not voted for Bush.

Two other guests at the party, former "West Wing" actors Bradley Whitford and Richard Schiff, said they heard McCain say the same thing; they were asked by Huffington to speak Thursday to The New York Times and The Washington Post.

McCain's campaign said Thursday she was making up the story to promote a book, and McCain disputed the story.

"I voted, campaigned for, worked as hard as I could for President Bush's election in 2000 and 2004," McCain told reporters. "I voted for President Bush, I said so at the time. I know we're already in silly season, but my record stands very clearly of campaigning all over this nation on behalf of the candidacy of President Bush.

"It's nonsense," he said.

McCain, now the likely GOP nominee, lost a bitter presidential primary race in 2000 to Bush.

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Clinton renews call for debate with Obama in Oregon primary

CENTRAL POINT, Ore. (AP) _ Hoarse from a cross-country campaign trip through three states, Sen. Hillary Clinton told die-hard supporters in southern Oregon she would keep running for president, and pressed her opponent to debate her again.

Sen. Barack Obama was to campaign through Oregon on Friday and Saturday, and Clinton said it would be a great time to debate while Oregonians consider how to cast mail ballots that are already hanging on refrigerators in households across the state. The ballots will be counted May 20.

Clinton was slated to speak Friday about health care at Doernbecher Children's Hospital in Portland.

"Those of you who have already made up your mind to support me, send it in," Clinton told a cheering crowd of about 1,200, in a pavilion of the Jackson County fairgrounds on Thursday night. "If you think you've made up your mind to support my opponent, wait awhile. Keep thinking. Keep waiting for that debate."

Obama has not risen to the debate bait, saying they have had ample opportunity to discuss issues in repeated televised confrontations.

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THE DEMOCRATS

Hillary Rodham Clinton meets with voters in Oregon before a Democratic dinner in Kentucky. Barack Obama holds three events in Oregon.

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THE REPUBLICANS

John McCain tours a science center in New Jersey.

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QUOTE OF THE DAY:

"I voted and I'm going to keep that between me and the polling booth right now." _ Former Sen. John Edwards, who was asked on NBC's "Today" Friday whether he voted for .

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STAT OF THE DAY:

West Virginia's median age of 40.7 is four years older than the national median, more than nine in 10 residents are white and the median family income is roughly $12,500 below the national median of about $58,500.

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Compiled by Joan Lowy