Cordesman on what's really going on in Basra  —  Excellent work as usual from a guy who's never shied from telling either side what it doesn't want to hear.  I cringe every time I write about Basra since it's impossible anymore to tell who's allied with whom and why: Maliki, Sadr, the JAM …

New Backing for Obama As Party Seeks Unity  —  WASHINGTON — Slowly but steadily, a string of Democratic Party figures is taking Barack Obama's side in the presidential nominating race and raising the pressure on Hillary Clinton to give up.  —  Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota is expected …

Bush booed loudly while throwing out first pitch in Nationals home opener.  —  President Bush delivered the first pitch tonight at the new Nationals Park in Washington, D.C. to a resounding chorus of boos.  After being announced, Bush was showered by boos as he strode to the mound.

How to Win in a Knife Fight  —  The Democratic race could well come down to the first contested convention in years.  Lessons on how to prevail.  —  After the last Democratic primary is held in early June, neither Hillary Clinton nor Barack Obama will have enough votes from delegates elected …

Say It Ain't So, Joe  —  It's not news that Sen. Joe Lieberman, the onetime Democratic VP candidate, is backing John McCain for President.  Nor is it news that Lieberman takes a different view of the Iraq War than most Democrats.  But what he said this morning on ABC's “This Week” is certainly news.

Maupin's remains found in Iraq  —  digg us!  del.icio.us!  —  Sgt. Matt Maupin is dead, the parents of the missing Clermont County soldier said today.  —  Maupin's remain were found in Iraq, nearly four years after he was captured by insurgents, his parents said.

HUD chief reportedly close to resigning  —  Jackson, facing allegations of cronyism, will hold press conference Monday  —  Housing and Urban Development Secretary Alphonso Jackson, buffeted by allegations of cronyism and favoritism, is expected to announce his resignation Monday …

Food Stamp Use at Record Pace as Jobs Vanish  —  Driven by a painful mix of layoffs and rising food and fuel prices, the number of Americans receiving food stamps is projected to reach 28 million in the coming year, the highest level since the aid program began in the 1960s.

No, John McCain Can't Just Quit  —  Susan Milligan, writing in the Boston Globe, takes an all-too-rare foray into John McCain's campaign finance hypocrisy.  But this bit, straight out of the McCain's disinformation machine, simply isn't true: … McCain took the money all right …

Public Death, Private Life  —  What should a newspaper print about a person's most private life in a story after his death?  —  The Post ran a story March 22 about the burial at Arlington National Cemetery of Army Maj. Alan G. Rogers, a decorated war hero killed in an explosion in Baghdad.

Cash-strapped Clinton fails to pay bills  —  Hillary Rodham Clinton's cash-strapped presidential campaign has been putting off paying hundreds of bills for months — freeing up cash for critical media buys but also earning the campaign a reputation as something of a deadbeat in some small-business circles.