Bush Will Pair Veto With New Cell Initiative  —  President Bush will issue an executive order intended to encourage scientific advances in regenerative medicine, according to senior White House officials who said Mr. Bush would announce the initiative on Wednesday, just as he vetoes a measure promoting embryonic stem cell research.

Bloomberg Insists He Is Not Running for President  —  Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg used his 15 minutes of fame as a Potential Presidential Candidate to showcase one of his pet local projects, the city's 311 Call Center.  —  A day after he announced he was quitting the Republican Party …

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.

"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 …

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 …

Hillary Clinton Booed Again  —  Sen. Hillary Clinton was booed again this morning at the Take Back America conference, sponsored by the lefty activist group Campaign for America's Future here in Washington.  At this same conference last year, Sen. Clinton was booed for her position on the war in Iraq.

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 …

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.

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.

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.

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.

FIRST QUARTER SCOREBOARD....Ron Brownstein writes today that Democrats haven't been ruthless enough against their own party's dinosaurs.  Nancy Pelosi, he says, should take a page from Newt Gingrich's playbook and start dumping a few of the party's most recalcitrant committee barons in favor …

New Gallup data show confidence in Congress at all time low  —  Just 14% of Americans have a great deal or quite a lot of confidence in Congress.  —  This 14% Congressional confidence rating is the all-time low for this measure, which Gallup initiated in 1973.

Cohen: Why Scooter Shouldn't Do Time  —  Washington Post columnist Richard Cohen will be online to discuss how an overblown case born of a political vendetta netted I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby 30 months in jail, and explain his stance that Libby should be pardoned.