Potomac states fit Obama profile  —  Blacks, upper-income liberals leaning his way  —  Barack Obama spoke at a rally in Baltimore.  Primaries will be held today in Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia.  (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)  —  RICHMOND - When Virginians go to the polls today …

Obama Unplugged  —  Lost without a Teleprompter.  —  USUALLY WHEN BARACK OBAMA gives a major speech, the overdone hosannas from the liberal commentariat follow as surely as night follows day.  The American Prospect's Ezra Klein wrote of Obama's post-Iowa victory speech, “I've been blessed to hear many great orations.

When Reality Bites  —  There's a big difference between the Republican and Democratic campaigns: The Republicans have split on policy grounds; the Democrats haven't.  There's been a Republican divide between center and right, yet no Democratic divide between center and left.

John McCain's Top 24 Potential Picks For Vice-President  —  Predicting whom a particular candidate will take as Vice-President is always difficult because so many factors play into it.  Do both candidates get along?  Is the presidential nominee looking to carry a particular state, region …

8 Questions the Potomac Primary Could Answer  —  1) Will a Sweep by Obama Make Him the Front-Runner?  —  Victories in Maryland, Virginia and the District would give Barack Obama a narrow but undisputed lead among pledged delegates to the Democratic National Convention.

Mortgage Crisis Spreads Past Subprime Loans  —  The credit crisis is no longer just a subprime mortgage problem.  —  As home prices fall and banks tighten lending standards, people with good, or prime, credit histories are falling behind on their payments for home loans …

Amnesty Day for Bush and lawbreaking telecoms  —  The Senate today — led by Jay Rockefeller, enabled by Harry Reid, and with the active support of at least 12 (and probably more) Democrats, in conjunction with an as-always lockstep GOP caucus — will vote to legalize warrantless spying …

For Clinton, Ohio and Texas Emerge as Key States to Win  —  Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton and her advisers increasingly believe that, after a series of losses, she has been boxed into a must-win position in the Ohio and Texas primaries on March 4, and she has begun reassuring anxious donors …

‘Clean Team’ interrogated 9/11 suspects  —  Agency tried non-coercive techniques to protect case against six detainees  —  The Bush administration announced yesterday that it intends to bring capital murder charges against half a dozen men allegedly linked to the Sept. 11, 2001 …

Arizona Seeing Signs of Flight by Immigrants  —  PHOENIX — The signs of flight among Latino immigrants here are multiple: Families moving out of apartment complexes, schools reporting enrollment drops, business owners complaining about fewer clients.  —  While it is too early to know for certain …

The Final Mission, Part III  —  ANBAR PROVINCE, IRAQ - The United States plans to hand Anbar Province over to the Iraqis next month if nothing catastrophic erupts between now and then.  The Marines will stick around a while longer, though, and complete their crucial last mission - training the Iraqi Police to replace them.

There is No Such Thing as the Texas Primary Part II: Delegate Projections  —  Previously we examined delegate allocation and the caucus process in Texas.  The short version is that:  — Texas has 193 pledged delegates, as well as 35 unpledged delegates  — The Statewide Primary vote …

Sources: Gore won't endorse  —  (CNN) - He's the most prominent Democrat yet to take a side in the presidential election, but two sources close to Al Gore tell us not to expect the former vice president to endorse either Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama any time during the primary season.

Palestinians Ask U.S. To Intervene in Suits Over Terrorist Attacks  —  The State Department is considering supporting the Palestinian Authority in its quest to avoid paying hundreds of millions of dollars in judgments won by American victims of Palestinian terrorist attacks in Israel …

EVEN HIS ENDORSEMENT IS A SNOOZER  —  Did you hear?  Fred Thompson endorsed John McCain.  —  Don't worry.  No one else heard either.

Portman praises McCain, but deflects talk of interest in vice presidential slot  —  More than one Beltway pundit has pegged Rob Portman as a potential vice presidential pick for Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.).  It's not hard to see why: Portman, 52, is relatively young, has served in the House …