Maverick Fails The Test: McCain Votes Against Waterboarding Ban  —  Today, the Senate brought the Intelligence Authorization Bill to the floor, which contained a provision from Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) establishing one interrogation standard across the government.

McCain Adviser Won't Fight Obama  —  ABC News' Teddy Davis Reports: On Wednesday, a top adviser to John McCain said more definitively than he has in the past that he will step down from the Arizona senator's presidential campaign if the presumed GOP nominee faces Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., in the general election.

Clinton counts on superdelegates  —  WASHINGTON — Hillary Clinton will take the Democratic nomination even if she does not win the popular vote, but persuades enough superdelegates to vote for her at the convention, her campaign advisers say.  —  The New York senator …

Ethics Panel Admonishes Craig for Conduct in Sex Sting  —  Sen. Larry E. Craig (R-Idaho) was rebuked yesterday by the Senate ethics committee over his conviction for disorderly conduct in an airport men's restroom, with the panel concluding that he committed the offense and citing him for actions …

Making (Some) Progress in Iraq  —  Good news is rare in Iraq.  But after months of bitter feuding, Iraq's Parliament has finally approved a budget, outlined the scope of provincial powers, set an Oct. 1 date for provincial elections and voted a general amnesty for detainees.

Hardbrawl  —  Last fall, as network executives, members of Congress and other hotshots gathered beneath a massive tent at Washington's Decatur House to celebrate the 10th anniversary of “Hardball,” Chris Matthews began to address the crowd.

Obama's Lead in Delegates Shifts Focus of Campaign  —  WASHINGTON — Senator Barack Obama emerged from Tuesday's primaries leading Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton by more than 100 delegates, a small but significant advantage that Democrats said would be difficult for Mrs. Clinton …

The Cult of Obama  —  Every political news outlet, from the networks to the blogs, is abuzz today with the question: Is the Obama phenomenon a cult?  —  People — particularly Hillary partisans — are eagerly putting this idea out there.  I want to make it very clear before I get started …

Candidates' Earmarks Worth Millions  —  Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton helped secure more than $340 million worth of home-state projects in last year's spending bills, placing her among the top 10 Senate recipients of what are commonly known as earmarks, according to a new study by a nonpartisan budget watchdog group.

Predatory Lenders' Partner in Crime  —  How the Bush Administration Stopped the States From Stepping In to Help Consumers  —  Several years ago, state attorneys general and others involved in consumer protection began to notice a marked increase in a range of predatory lending practices by mortgage lenders.

When We Torture  —  The most famous journalist you may never have heard of is Sami al-Hajj, an Al Jazeera cameraman who is on a hunger strike to protest abuse during more than six years in a Kafkaesque prison system.  —  Mr. Hajj's fortitude has turned him into a household name in the Arab world …

The Huckabee Tab  —  There is one small but influential group of GOP political insiders who are praying for Mike Huckabee to continue his increasingly Quixotic campaign for the Republican nomination: voter mail and list consultants.  Huckabee is doing a great job of showing state-by-state exactly …

Be My Political Valentine  —  Are you in love with a staffer on Capitol Hill, someone who works at a think tank, or just a plain, old political wonk?  Well, then today's your lucky day because you can show them that you really do understand their weird obsession with monetary policy …

Joel Surnow Exits “24″  —  ***UPDATE: Welcome fellow Corner fans and thanks again to John J. Miller for linking to us.  Please have a look around.  Today we learned Nicole Kidman will be playing Valerie Plame — the blonde leading the blonde.  —  More “24″ bad news from today's Hollywood Reporter: