The surface of Mars is pretty much dirt and rocks. Are they sure there can be life on this thing?

The Phoenix lander has so far sent back about 200 photos of the Red Planet, all displayed by the University of Arizona mission team on its website.

And as if the thought that scientists may learn more about Mars than ever before isn't enough, the team is also giving the public the gift that can only be given to friends and family on their birthday at the last minute: e-cards.

(There are also screen savers and Mac widgets that display the weather on the fourth rock from the sun.)

But the big news is that the rover is going to start digging through the surface soon in an attempt to find ice, a sign that life could or could have existed there. The signal from the Phoenix was cut out for a day but was restored Tuesday night, and now the team leaders say its robotic arm will be ready for soil excursions soon.

Call me idealistic, but I want to see an election that's played out over policy initiatives. I want to know where my candidates stand on the issues. I want to know what they've done (not what they claim to have done) and what they're going to do and how. And I really could not care less about their personal lives and feelings.

I am a Hillary Clinton fan. Yes, one of the beleaguered bunch still hanging on to the hope that the toughest candidate, the one with experience, the one with a plan will end up in the White House come November. I am a Clinton fan, but I am not a Clinton zealot. I acknowledge that there are some harsh realities facing her campaign and I will earnestly entertain arguments suggesting she should drop out so that the Democrats can start to rally as one united group.

After Friday's news that Hillary Clinton was beginning to seek a way to gracefully exit the Democratic presidential nominating contest, it looks as if the Obama camp is equally aware of the need to unify the party.

In anticipation of Saturday's meeting of the DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee, the Obama camp sent a letter to supporters urging them "not to show up to demonstrate, passionately as they feel about this campaign." The Rules and Bylaws Committee will attempt to determine the status of the delegates from Michigan and Florida-the two states that were stripped of their delegations for holding early primaries.

Though civility on both sides will play a large role in bringing the party together, based on the lessons of the 1964 Democratic Convention-and the divisive decision not to seat members of the Mississippi Freedom Democrats-the outcome of Saturday's meeting will play a pivotal role in shaping how Democrats deal with a post-primary election season.

In a strategically brilliant move, John McCain has invited Barack Obama to tour Iraq with him, saying much progress has been made since Obama last visited in 2006. The Obama campaign responded by saying Memorial Day shouldn't be used for "political posturing," but here's a better response: Invite McCain to Harlem.

Just last night, eight people - including six teens - were shot in a Harlem park. McCain's whole justification for the joint Iraq trip is that Obama needs to see what's happening on the ground firsthand. So respond in kind, Obama: Challenge McCain to observe the needs of an urban community firsthand.

The Wall Street Journal's Kimberley A. Strassel has a rather sobering interview with House Minority Leader Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio) discussing Republicans' angst over dismal election-year prospects. Strassel highlights the direction of Boehner's "Change You Deserve" plan for America and brings up Virginia Rep. Tom Davis's candid memo to party colleagues:

"I read it, I thought it was insightful," Mr. Boehner replies. "I thought it was honest. Members all ought to read it and learn from it, in terms of helping them understand that we've got to be serious about delivering change." But he adds a caveat: "We're talking about the right kind of change, not change for change's sake. We want change rooted in freedom."

Davis is onto something, and so is Boehner to some extent. Republicans are not re-defining themselves quickly enough or significantly enough, and with the months counting down until the November election, time is running out.