Obama's gains  —  A pretty stunning gain out of Iowa for Obama, where an Iowa Democratic official confirmed to me just now that the county convention results will translate into a 25-14-6 edge for Obama over Clinton and Edwards.  —  That's a gain of nine for the Illinois Senator …

Obama's Remarks at Plainfield, Indiana Town Hall  —  Town Hall Meeting at Plainfield High School, (Plainfield, Indiana)  —  Let me just close my initial remarks by talking about bringing this country together.  You know, Bobby Kennedy gave one of his most — gave one of his most famous speeches on a dark night in Indianapolis.

Iraq Insurgency Runs on Stolen Oil Profits  —  BAIJI, Iraq — The Baiji refinery, with its distillation towers rising against the Hamrin Mountains, may be the most important industrial site in the Sunni Arab-dominated regions of Iraq.  On a good day, 500 tanker trucks will leave the refinery filled …

Republicans See Storm Clouds Gathering  —  Week of Bad News Highlights Difficult Challenges for GOP in Fall Elections  —  While all eyes were on the presidential campaign and the demise of New York Gov. Eliot L. Spitzer (D) last week, Republicans on Capitol Hill were suffering a run of bad news …

Germany's First Suicide Bomber in Afghanistan?  —  A young German-born Turk could possibly have carried out an attack in Afghanistan that killed two US soldiers.  The Islamic Jihad Union claims 28-year-old Cüneyt C. from Bavaria was responsible for the March 3 attack …

Zogby Poll: McCain Bests Both Obama, Clinton in 3-Way General Election Tests  —  Independent candidate Ralph Nader wins 5%, taking more support from Democrats  —  UTICA, New York - Riding high after locking up his party's presidential nomination, Republican John McCain of Arizona has moved ahead …

Supreme Court Inc.  —  I.  —  The headquarters of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, located across from Lafayette Park in Washington, is a limestone structure that looks almost as majestic as the Supreme Court.  The similarity is no coincidence: both buildings were designed by the same architect, Cass Gilbert.

Gallup Daily: Obama Maintains Slight Edge Over Clinton  —  Democrats, McCain tie in general election matchups  —  PRINCETON, NJ — The race for the Democratic nomination remains close, with Gallup Poll Daily tracking showing that 49% of Democratic voters nationwide prefer Barack Obama and 46% Hillary Clinton.

Reformers Gain in Iran Vote, Despite Being Barred  —  TEHRAN — With about half of the races for Parliament decided Saturday, more than 30 reformers appear to have won seats although most of their most prominent members had been barred from running by the country's conservative establishment.

Blogtalk: Pro-Clinton Bloggers Boycott Kos  —  On Friday, it got to be too much for Alegre, a diarist on the flagship liberal blog DailyKos, who frequently writes in support of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton.  —  “I've put up with the abuse and anger because I've always believed …