State Democrats say Clinton camp may sue  —  Legal action could disrupt or delay caucuses, party says  —  AUSTIN — The Texas Democratic Party warned Thursday that election night caucuses scheduled for Tuesday could be delayed or disrupted after aides to Hillary Rodham Clinton threatened …

Obama Gets a Taste of the Coming Battle  —  WASHINGTON — When Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton goes after Senator Barack Obama these days, she presses him on the details of his health care plan, criticizes the wording of his campaign mailings and likens his promise of change to celestial choirs.

Prince's cover in Afghanistan blown by Drudge Report  —  Prince Harry mans a machinegun in Afghanistan  —  An American website, the Drudge Report, broke a news blackout yesterday by revealing that Prince Harry has been serving in Afghanistan for more than two months.

Texas: End of the Road For Hillary Clinton  —  It is doggoned poetic that the last stand in Hillary Clinton's botched quest for the White House will almost certainly be next Tuesday in Texas, a state that in all its crazy quilt hugeness gave us three presidents who presided in times of war …

Hope and fear  —  Democratic economic policy sounds worryingly populist  —  FOR a man who has placed “hope” at the centre of his campaign, Barack Obama can sound pretty darned depressing.  As the battle for the Democratic nomination reaches a climax in Texas and Ohio …

Pew: Majority now believe U.S. effort in Iraq will succeed, 53-39  —  In case you were wondering why the Democrats are running from this debate, it's because the more public opinion shifts, the more their willingness to abandon Iraq looks less like a “realist” exit strategy than calculated defeatism.

Did ‘SNL’ Go Beyond the Pale With Fauxbama?  —  Lorne Michaels Defends Casting Of Non-Black Man in Sketch  —  When Barack Obama announced his candidacy for president last year, some observers questioned whether the senator from Illinois was “black enough” to embody the hopes and aspirations of African Americans.

Opponents slam Obama after CTV story on NAFTA  —  Allegations of double talk on NAFTA from the Obama and Clinton campaigns dominated the U.S. political landscape on Thursday.  —  On Wednesday, CTV reported that a senior member of Barack Obama's campaign called the Canadian embassy within …

Obama's Appeal to Independents  —  Obama has much greater personal appeal to independent voters than does either McCain or Clinton.  Fully 63% of independents rate Obama favorably, nearly twice the percentage expressing an unfavorable view of him (32%).  The balance of opinion toward McCain …

Police: Deadly toxin found at Las Vegas hotel  —  (CNN) — Police in Las Vegas, Nevada, are investigating the discovery of what they said is the deadly poison ricin in a hotel room.  —  Authorities were called to an Extended Stay America hotel around 3 p.m. PT Thursday after a man brought …

Reuters/C-SPAN/Houston Chronicle Poll: Obama Builds Lead Over Clinton in Texas, But Dem Race Too Close To Call in Ohio...  Zogby News Releases

Turkish troops pull out of Iraq  —  CUKURCA, Turkey - Turkey's military said Friday it has ended a ground offensive against Kurdish rebels in Iraq, but said that foreign influence did not play a role in its decision.  —  At least 200 trucks carrying Turkish troops were seen leaving …

Facing Default, Some Walk Out on New Homes  —  When Raymond Zulueta went into default on his mortgage last year, he did what a lot of people do.  He worried.  —  In a declining housing market, he owed more than the house was worth, and his mortgage payments, even on an interest-only loan …

Poll: McCain and Obama lead in Texas  —  Huckabee is still defiant; Clinton maintains hold on Hispanic vote  —  Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama appears to be consolidating a lead over Hillary Rodham Clinton among most constituent groups in Texas except Hispanics, according to a new tracking poll.

Remembering the Mentor  —  When I was in college, William F. Buckley Jr. wrote a book called “Overdrive” in which he described his glamorous lifestyle.  Since I was young and a smart-aleck, I wrote a parody of it for the school paper.  —  “Buckley spent most of his infancy working on his memoirs,” I wrote in my faux-biography.

Primaries turnout prompts concerns for Nov.  —  Record turnout in this year's presidential primaries has election officials worried about possible shortages of machines, ballots and poll workers in November.  —  In 17 of the 24 primaries held so far, turnouts were larger than any in the past 40 years …