Poll: It's all tied up for Dems in Texas  —  CNN Deputy Political Director  —  (CNN) — Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are in a statistical dead heat in Texas, according to a poll released eight days before the state's crucial presidential primary.

CLINTON STAFFERS CIRCULATE ‘DRESSED’ OBAMA  —  With a week to go until the Texas and Ohio primaries, stressed Clinton staffers circulated a photo over the weekend of a “dressed” Barack Obama.  —  The photo, taken in 2006, shows the Democrat frontrunner fitted as a Somali Elder …

In-Laws' Political Dispute Ends In Stabbing  —  UPPER PROVIDENCE, Pa. (CBS 3) ― The Montgomery County District Attorney's Office is investigating a politically motivated stabbing that left one in-law hospitalized and another in prison.  —  Authorities said brother-in-laws Jose Ortiz …

ACTION: Tell AP Papers to Stop Smearing Obama's Patriotism  —  It was pretty much world-record speed with which the smears against Barack Obama's patriotism alley-ooped from the right wing attack machine into the pages of legitimate media, neatly laundered into the AP by Nedra Pickler.

Commentary - Melanie Scarborough: Obama on Obama is scary truth  —  WASHINGTON (Map, News) - One can only hope that the majority of Barack Obama's supporters are not as inane as actress Susan Sarandon, who announced last week that she supports Obama for president and “can't wait to see what he stands for.”

Coupe Deval  —  The unhappy first year in office of Barack Obama's friend and oratorical model.  —  Boston  —  Early last week, the presidential campaign was rocked by the “bombshell” that Barack Obama had borrowed certain rhetorical flourishes from Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick's 2006 gubernatorial campaign.

Forget global warming: Welcome to the new Ice Age  —  Snow cover over North America and much of Siberia, Mongolia and China is greater than at any time since 1966.  —  The U.S. National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) reported that many American cities and towns suffered record cold temperatures in January and early February.

Obama's women reveal his secret  —  “Cherchez la femme,” advised Alexander Dumas in: “When you want to uncover an unspecified secret, look for the woman.”  In the case of Barack Obama, we have two: his late mother, the went-native anthropologist Ann Dunham, and his rancorous wife Michelle.

Edwards joins Obama supporters in new anti-war effort  —  Former presidential candidate John Edwards (D-N.C.), whose endorsement is sought by Democratic presidential rivals Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) and Barack Obama (Ill.), will join several groups that have endorsed Obama in a new effort to end the Iraq war.

McCain Withheld Controversial Abramoff Email  —  On the stump, Sen. John McCain often cites his work tackling the excesses of disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff as evidence of his sturdy ethical compass.  —  A little-known document, however, shows that McCain may have taken steps to protect …

An early look at how Clinton deals with crisis  —  In a presidential campaign focused on the future, Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama spend a lot of time talking about their pasts.  —  Both lean heavily on tales of early, formative experiences - she running a law clinic in Arkansas …

Lieberman Offers Helping Hand to Democrats...Again  —  Republican attack ads pressuring House Democrats to capitulate on telecom immunity started running in Connecticut against Chris Murphy and Joe Courtney this week.  They're funded by an organization called the Foundation for Defense of Democracies …

Rove denies 60 Minutes charges, claims he wasn't contacted.  —  On Fox News's Election HQ today, former White House political adviser Karl Rove denied allegations made by a former GOP operative on CBS's 60 Minutes last night that he personally told her to find evidence that former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman (D) was cheating on his wife.