WASHINGTON — Sen. Barack Obama got a front-runner's welcome back at the Capitol yesterday, pressing congressional "superdelegates" to support him in a visit that had the look and feel of a campaign victory lap.

On the House floor, he was quickly surrounded by well-wishers calling him "Mr. President" and reaching out to pat him on the back or shake his hand. The glad-handers included a few Republicans and supporters of his Democratic presidential rival, Hillary Rodham Clinton.

He picked up the superdelegate support of at least two lawmakers: Rep. Brad Miller of North Carolina, where Obama handily won the primary on Tuesday, and Rep. Rick Larsen of Washington state.

MCCAIN IRKED BY 'BEARINGS' REMARK

NEW YORK — Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said yesterday that Republican John McCain was "losing his bearings" for repeatedly suggesting the Islamic terrorist group Hamas preferred Obama for president.

That brought an angry response from McCain's campaign, which accused Obama of trying to make an issue of McCain's age.

Age is a touchy subject for McCain, who turns 72 in August and would be the oldest person to be sworn in as president if elected.

In an interview yesterday with CNN, Obama accused McCain of trying to smear him by repeating the comments.

"For him to toss out comments like that, I think, is an example of him losing his bearings as he pursues this nomination," Obama said.

McCain's campaign angrily accused Obama of trying to divert attention from a legitimate question by raising McCain's age.

"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. "It is more than fair to raise this quote about Senator Obama, because it speaks to the policy implications of his judgment."

Obama spokesman Bill Burton insisted that Obama was not trying to do what McCain's campaign accused him of.

CINDY MCCAIN 'PRIVATE' ON TAXES

WASHINGTON — Cindy McCain says she will never make her tax returns public even if her husband wins the White House.

"You know, my husband and I have been married 28 years and we have filed separate tax returns for 28 years. This is a privacy issue. My husband is the candidate," the wife of expected Republican presidential nominee John McCain said yesterday on NBC's "Today."

Asked if she would release her tax returns if she was first lady, Cindy McCain said: "No."

The Arizona senator released his tax return last month, reporting a total income of $405,409 in 2007 and payment of $84,460 in federal income taxes. He files his return separately from his wife, an heiress to, and chairman of, a Phoenix-based beer distributing company whose fortune is in the $100 million range.

FLORIDA ASKS PARTY TO SEAT DELEGATION

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida's Democratic congressional delegation yesterday asked the national party to seat the state's delegation based on its January primary. The state party, meanwhile, expressed hope that the campaigns will agree on a plan by the end of the month.

The Democratic National Committee stripped Florida's delegates because the state held its Jan. 29 primary earlier than party rules allowed. Hillary Rodham Clinton won 50 percent to Barack Obama's 33 percent.

State party spokesman Mark Bubriski said Florida officials have been talking with representatives for Obama and Clinton about recognizing all, or part, of the state's delegates.

The Florida news comes after Michigan Democrats came up with a plan to restore their delegates, which also were stripped because of an early primary.