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.

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 …

The Monster Mash  —  I was covered in barbecue sauce, somewhere over Texas, when Barack Obama loped down the aisle of the plane to chat with reporters.  —  I felt guilty, because I had been covering his speeches urging parents to make their kids give up chips and Popeyes.

Hamas wages Iran's proxy war on Israel  —  A Hamas leader admits hundreds of his fighters have travelled to Tehran  —  The Hamas commander was in a hurry.  Hunched forward in a navy-blue parka, with the wind-chapped skin and drawn eyes of someone who had been outdoors all night, he had just returned from the front line with Israel.

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 …

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 …

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.

U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson supports mail-in primary for Florida  —  Two Florida lawmakers say that's the best fix for the mess.  —  Top Florida Democrats are pushing hard for a last-minute mail-in ballot, saying it's the only practical way to settle the presidential-primary debacle and allow voters to be heard.

AP Exclusive: US troops may have become sick in Iraq from contaminated water  —  WASHINGTON: Dozens of U.S. troops in Iraq fell sick at bases using “unmonitored and potentially unsafe” water supplied by the military and a contractor once owned by Vice President Dick Cheney's former company, the Pentagon's internal watchdog said.

Major Brian Shul: “I loved that jet”  —  This piece by Major Shul came in over the transom:  —  In April 1986, following an attack on American soldiers in a Berlin disco, President Reagan ordered the bombing of Muammar Qaddafi's terrorist camps in Libya.  My duty was to fly over Libya …

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 …