Barack Obama wins Politico.com Straw Poll  —  Senator Barack Obama scored a victory among progressive activists Wednesday, winning the Politico.com Straw Poll of attendees at the Take Back America Conference in Washington.  —  Obama received 29% of the 720 votes cast in the straw poll …

Engage With Hamas  —  GAZA CITY, Palestine — The Palestinian National Authority apparently joins the list of elected governments targeted or toppled over the past century by interventionism: nations that had the courage to take American rhetoric at face value and elect whomever they would.

Bloomberg Well Known, But of Limited Appeal for Now  —  Michael Bloomberg has created some excitement in the political world about a possible run for the presidency by dropping his Republican affiliation.  But a recent nationwide Pew voter survey found that while the New York mayor is relatively well known …

Tribes help U.S. against al-Qaeda  —  BAGHDAD — More than 10 Iraqi tribes in the Baghdad area have reached agreements with U.S. and Iraqi forces for the first time to oppose al-Qaeda, raising the U.S. military's hopes that a trend started in western Iraq is spreading here.

"Fringe liberal bloggers"  —  When establishment journalists speak of the liberal blogosphere, it is virtually an article of faith that it represents the "far left," that it is composed of the radical and fringe elements of liberalism.  This week, the increasingly dishonest Fred Thompson castigated Harry Reid …

President Bush Bucking the Stem Cell Trend?  —  Bush's Veto of a Stem Cell Bill Comes as More People Say They Support Research  —  President Bush's pending veto of stem cell research legislation comes at a time when public support for such research is at an all-time high.

GIULIANI FOLLOWUP....Remember that Newsday story from yesterday about Rudy Giuliani getting kicked off the Iraq Study Group because he couldn't find the time in his busy schedule to attend their meetings?  You could be excused if you don't, since apparently no one in our press corps considered either …

Times Undertakes Multi-Bureau Rupert Murdoch Investigation  —  EDITION OF THE NEW YORK OBSERVER.  —  The New York Times is currently undertaking a major news investigation, led by managing editor Jill Abramson, into News Corp.'s business dealings throughout the world, according to a source with knowledge of the project.

Bush Eyes Blair for Mideast Peace Role  —  The Bush administration is laying the groundwork for an announcement of Tony Blair as special Middle East envoy for Palestinian governance and economic issues after he steps down as Britain's prime minister, following two months of behind-the-scenes negotiations, according to U.S. officials.

Slim Chance Of Finding an Arabic Speaker at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad  —  Jonathan Karl and Maddy Sauer Report:  —  Of the 1,000 U.S. employees at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, only 10 have a working knowledge of Arabic, according to the State Department.

Gazans Adjust to Power Shift as New Rulers Revel  —  Muhammad al-Borniah, 23, shook a little on Tuesday as he showed off the tiny cell, No. 13, where he spent five days in January as a prisoner of the Palestinian Preventive Security, the elite Fatah force that dealt with subversion.

The World In America  —  Here's a great map from a great blog, Strange Maps.  Each state is represented by a foreign country with the same GDP.  I'm struck by one obvious thing.  The District of Columbia has the same GDP as New Zealand.  Now imagine if no one in New Zealand were allowed …

New Taliban Leader Had Been in Afghan Custody; Released in Hostage Deal  —  Maddy Sauer Reports:  —  The Taliban military commander who led the "graduation ceremony" for 300 suicide bombers was one of five men released from an Afghanistan prison earlier this year in exchange for a kidnapped Italian journalist.