New NBC-WSJ poll  —  From NBC's Chuck Todd  —  As expected, one of the two major Democratic candidates saw a downturn in the latest NBC/WSJ poll, but it's not the candidate that you think.  Hillary Clinton is sporting the lowest personal ratings of the campaign.

If McCain vs. Obama, 28% of Clinton Backers Go for McCain  —  If McCain vs. Clinton, 19% of Obama backers go for McCain  —  PRINCETON, NJ — A sizable proportion of Democrats would vote for John McCain next November if he is matched against the candidate they do not support for the Democratic nomination.

In Letter, Top Clinton Donors Chastise Pelosi For Statements About Super-Delegates  —  Twenty top Hillary fundraisers and donors have sent a scathing private letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, chastising her for publicly saying that the super-delegates should support the winner …

Pentagon says new Iraq fighting arises from surge's success  —  WASHINGTON (AFP) — The Pentagon on Wednesday said an eruption of violence in southern Iraq, where US-backed government forces were battling Shiite militias, was a “by-product of the success of the surge.”

BREAKING: Condi Rice Flirts With VP Possibility — Speaks to Grover Norquist's Wednesday Group Meeting  —  Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is speaking this morning to Grover Norquist's weekly powerhouse gathering at Americans for Tax Reform of conservative associations, think tanks, and political operations.

BILL: ‘SADDLE UP’  —  From NBC/NJ's Mike Memoli  —  PARKERSBURG, W.V. — Bill Clinton kicked off a day of campaigning here by making a personal appeal to voters, saying Hillary's success depends on “real” people like those who came to see him.  And as the rhetoric heats up between the Democratic campaigns …

US: Saddam Paid for Lawmakers' Iraq Trip  —  Saddam Hussein's intelligence agency secretly financed a trip to Iraq for three U.S. lawmakers during the run-up to the U.S.-led invasion, federal prosecutors said Wednesday.  —  An indictment unsealed in Detroit accuses Muthanna Al-Hanooti …

Judicial Watch: Obama ‘intended to leave no paper trail’  —  The president of a prominent watchdog group said Wednesday that he believes Democratic presidential frontrunner Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) “intended to leave no paper trail” during his time in the Illinois Senate.

Federal judge: Michigan's presidential primary law unconstitutional  —  DETROIT — A federal judge on Wednesday ruled Michigan's presidential primary law unconstitutional and blocked the state from giving voter lists from the Jan. 15 election to the state's major political parties.

Obama's Pastor Slurs Italians in Latest Magazine  —  (CNSNews.com) - Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr., pastor emeritus of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago where Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) has been a member for two decades, slurred Italians in a piece published in the most recent issue of Trumpet Newsmagazine.

Seriously, how do you flip from Romney to Obama?  —  In a Beliefnet interview, Kmiec explains that: … He continues: … The trouble with this explanation is that just a few months ago Kmiec was part of Mitt Romney's campaign.  I don't recall Mitt talking about Dorothy Day very much.

The rescue of Bear Stearns marks liberalisation's limit  —  Remember Friday March 14 2008: it was the day the dream of global free- market capitalism died.  For three decades we have moved towards market-driven financial systems.  By its decision to rescue Bear Stearns, the Federal Reserve …

Hillary's Minister Problem  —  Barack Obama isn't the only candidate with ties to a controversial religious group.  —  Since Hillary Clinton has launched a frontal attack on her opponent's church and pastor, it's worth noting that she has some odd religious ties of her own.

Standing By His Man  —  Why Obama was right in not repudiating his pastor.  —  The power of the preacher is an unmeasured force in American life.  Of course, now that it has become an issue in a political campaign, we are focusing on the one minister and the one candidate whose lives …

Remarks By John McCain To The Los Angeles World Affairs Council  —  ARLINGTON, VA — U.S. Senator John McCain's will deliver the following remarks as prepared for delivery today at the World Affairs Council in Los Angeles, California:  —  When I was five years old, a car pulled up in front …

Big Phat Liar  —  How a federal inmate duped the Los Angeles Times, fabricated FBI reports, and linked Sean “Diddy” Combs to 1994 ambush of Tupac Shakur  —  Last week's bombshell Los Angeles Times report claiming that the 1994 shooting of Tupac Shakur in the lobby of a Manhattan recording studio …