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Chris Cillizza / The Fix:
House Dems Score Special Election Upset — Physicist Bill Foster (D) defeated dairy magnate Jim Oberweis (R) in the Illinois special election to replace former House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R), a win that reinforces the perils facing House Republicans at the ballot box this fall.
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James Kimberly / Chicago Tribune:
Foster takes seat from GOP — Democrat to succeed Hastert in Republican stronghold — In a stunning upset Saturday that could be a sign of trouble for Republicans this fall, a little-known Democratic physicist won the special election for a far west suburban congressional seat long held by former GOP House Speaker Dennis Hastert.
Monica Davey / New York Times:
Democrat Wins Seat Once Held by G.O.P. Speaker — CHICAGO — Stunning many who considered the district west of Chicago reliably Republican territory, Bill Foster, a physicist and Democrat, won a special election on Saturday to fill the Congressional seat that J. Dennis Hastert, the former speaker of the House, held for two decades.
David Kurtz / Talking Points Memo:
DEMS TAKE OLD HASTERT SEAT — The AP has called the race in the Illinois 14th for Democrat Bill Foster. — With more than 96% of precincts reporting, Foster has a 52-48 lead over big-spending GOP candidate Jim Oberweis. — Think Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK) is having fun yet as chairman of the NRCC?
Julie Bosman / New York Times:
Obama Wins Wyoming Caucuses — CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Senator Barack Obama continued his string of victories in caucus states on Saturday, beating Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton in Wyoming by a wide margin. — The victory, while in a state with only 18 delegates, was welcome news for the Obama campaign …
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Washington Post:
Ex-Defense Official Assails Colleagues Over Run-Up to War — In the first insider account of Pentagon decision-making on Iraq, one of the key architects of the war blasts former secretary of state Colin Powell, the CIA, retired Gen. Tommy R. Franks and former Iraq occupation chief L. Paul Bremer …
Taegan Goddard / Political Insider:
Could Gore Be The Nominee? — It's clear that for either Sen. Barack Obama or Sen. Hillary Clinton to win the Democratic presidential nomination, they'll have to win the majority of superdelegates at the convention. But what if the superdelegates split right down the middle like Democrats across the nation?
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Associated Press:
Palestinians: Hamas, Hezbollah cooperated on Jerusalem terror attack — The gunman who murdered eight students at Mercaz Harav Yeshiva in Jerusalem last Thursday was acting on instructions from Hamas leaders in Damascus, in coordination with Hezbollah, Palestinian defense sources said.
Lawrence K. Altman, M.D. / New York Times:
On the Campaign Trail, Few Mentions of McCain's Bout With Melanoma — Along with his signature bright white hair, the most striking aspects of Senator John McCain's physical appearance are his puffy left cheek and the scar that runs down the back of his neck.
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Sarah Baxter / Times of London:
Hillary Clinton sets her sights on three ways to win — Clinton aims to win the popular vote, secure reruns in Florida and Michigan and undermine Obama's credibility as the candidate to beat McCain — FRESH from her victories in three out of four states last week and surging back in the national polls …
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Political Machine
Dan Balz / Washington Post:
Influential Democrats Waiting to Choose Sides — Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's trio of victories over Sen. Barack Obama last week appears to have convinced a sizable number of uncommitted Democratic superdelegates to wait until the end of the primaries and caucuses before picking a candidate …
Michael Barone / Real Clear Politics:
Clinton Has Only One Plausible Path to the Nomination — Barack Obama won 11 out of 11 primaries and caucuses from Super Tuesday to Feb. 19. Hillary Clinton won three out of four contests on March 4. — Suddenly, the look and feel of the Democratic presidential race were different.
Hilzoy / Obsidian Wings:
Hillary Clinton And Rwanda — Bill Clinton claims that Hillary Clinton urged him to intervene militarily in Rwanda: … When Hillary Clinton was asked whether this was true, she said “It is.” — I have no idea whether or not this is true. But I do know a couple of related things.