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 …

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.

What Hamas Wants  —  THE events in Gaza over the last few days have been described in the West as a coup.  In essence, they have been the opposite.  Eighteen months ago, our Hamas Party won the Palestinian parliamentary elections and entered office under Prime Minister Ismail Haniya …

Digby speaks  —  The remarkable wisdom of Digby now has a public face.  —  Here are her remarks last night at the Take Back America 2007 conference in Washington.  —  In case you can't view the video, or if you just want it, here's a transcript:  —  Thank you very much, Ned.  That is overwhelming.

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 …

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 …

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.

Some Colleges to Drop Out of U.S. News Rankings  —  The presidents of dozens of liberal arts colleges have decided to stop participating in the annual college rankings by U.S. News and World Report.  —  The decision was announced Tuesday at the end of an annual meeting of the Annapolis Group …

Report Slams Small's Tenure  —  Former Smithsonian secretary Lawrence M. Small took nearly 10 weeks of vacation a year during seven years running the vast museum complex and was absent from his job 550 workdays while earning $5.7 million on outside work, according to an independent commission report to be released today.

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.

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 …

Bloomberg: Who Wins, Who Loses?  —  NY Mayor Mike Bloomberg's decision to quit the Republican party does raise the likelihood that he will mount an independent presidential run.  Who would win, who would lose from such a bid?  —  The first loser would be Mike Bloomberg himself.

In N.C., GOPer Raises, Then Lowers, Voter Fraud Alarms  —  On June 5, less than thirty minutes before the North Carolina State Senate was scheduled to vote on a bill that would allow voters to register up until three days before an election (down from 25), the Republican state auditor sent …

Numbers of Refugees on the Rise  —  Today, June 20, is United Nations World Refugee Day.  And for the first time since 2002, the number of refugees and displaced persons around the world is actually increasing.  According to a new report (pdf) by the United Nations High Commission on Refugees …

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.

The Prison Poets Of Guantanamo Find a Publisher  —  Military Security Clears 22  —  After Checking for Code;  —  What's Lost in Translation  —  Inmates at the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, used pebbles to scratch messages into the foam cups they got with their meals.

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.