CNN catches McCain making contradictory statements about Sadr.  —  In an interview with CNN earlier today, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) claimed that he has long understood the influence of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr: … But in a report on The Situation Room today …

Hillary fired for lies, unethical behavior from Congressional job: former boss  —  Dan Calabrese's new column on Hillary Clinton's past may bring the curtain down on her political future.  Calabrese interviewed Jerry Zeifman, the man who served as chief counsel to the House Judiciary Committee during …

Clinton compares herself to ‘Rocky’  —  PHILADELPHIA - Perhaps the analogy was inevitable: Hillary Rodham Clinton as Rocky Balboa, the scrappy underdog boxer from Philadelphia memorably depicted in the 1976 Oscar-winning film.  Even if Rocky did lose his first big fight.

The March 2003 Yoo Memo Emerges! (not an April Fool's Joke): The Torture Memo to Top All Torture Memos  —  Subhead: The Big Kahuna: The Torture Memo that Makes the August 2002 Memo Look Like Objective and Thoughtful Legal Analysis  —  On Friday, March 13, 2003, Jay Bybee left his office …

Harold Ickes Confirms That Wright Is Key Topic In Discussions With Super-Delegates  —  In an interview with me this morning, senior Hillary adviser Harold Ickes confirmed that Reverend Jeremiah Wright is a key topic in discussions with uncommitted super-delegates over whether Obama is electable in a general election.

The Singles Map  —  This is the new and improved version the singles map published yesterday in the Boston Globe.  —  A Singles Map of the United States  —  Which cities have a surplus of single men (or women) - and what that means for the country  —  By Richard Florida

Student calls McCain out for political motivations of school appearance.  —  Today Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) stopped at his alma mater, Episcopal High School in Virginia, to lecture on the importance of teaching and the honor code.  McCain's toughest question came from student Katelyn Halldorson …

No Iraq Intelligence Update For You!  —  For weeks, analysts within the 16-agency U.S. intelligence community have been toiling to complete an assessment of the situation in Iraq.  This morning, it finally went to the Hill: the Senate and House intelligence committees, and the leadership in both chambers …

Elizabeth Edwards Responds: Why Are People Like Me Left Out Of Your Health Care Proposal, Sen. McCain?  —  Our guest blogger is Elizabeth Edwards, wife of former Presidential candidate John Edwards.  —  I freely admit that I am confused about the role of overnight funding in repurchase markets in the collapse of Bear Stearns.

Clinton pleads for time  —  Clinton campaign manager Maggie Williams put out a memo in which she casts the cause of keeping the campaign alive as an issue in and of itself, a kind of voting rights issue.  —  She lists the states yet to vote: … I tend to agree with Steve Benen on this …

Flying penguins found by BBC programme  —  The BBC will today screen remarkable footage of penguins flying as part of its new natural history series, Miracles of Evolution.  —  Camera crews discovered a colony of Adélie penguins while filming on King George Island, some 750 miles south of the Falkland Islands.

Church leader calls for building of mosques to be banned because of risk 'Britain will become an ‘Islamic state’  —  A senior Church of England member called yesterday for the building of mosques to be banned.  —  Alison Ruoff said more construction would lead to Islamic no go areas dominated …

Turmoil in Race Tests Democrats' Low-Key Chief  —  WASHINGTON — The turmoil in the Democratic presidential race has presented a sharp test of Howard Dean's low-profile approach to leading the Democratic National Committee, bringing calls from many Democrats for him to take a more aggressive role …

Obama's Oil Spill  —  Obama says he doesn't take money from oil companies.  We say that's a little too slick.  —  In a new ad, Obama says, “I don't take money from oil companies.”  —  Technically, that's true, since a law that has been on the books for more than a century prohibits corporations …

Dems seek Texas seat held by elder Bush  —  Democrats have been increasingly bullish about their ability to win over suburban, ancestrally Republican House districts that have been trending in their party's direction over the past decade.  —  But their party's latest target shows just how confident Democrats have become.