81% in Poll Say Nation Is Headed on the Wrong Track  —  Americans are more dissatisfied with the country's direction than at any time since the New York Times/CBS News poll began asking about the subject in the early 1990s, according to the latest poll.  —  In the poll, 81 percent of respondents …

Employment Situation Summary  —  Technical information:  —  Household data: (202) 691-6378 USDL 08-0448  —  Establishment data: (202) 691-6555 Transmission of material in this release  —  http://www.bls.gov/ces/ is embargoed until 8:30 A.M. (EDT), Media contact: (202) 691-5902 Friday, April 4, 2008.

More Than 1,000 in Iraq's Forces Quit Basra Fight  —  BAGHDAD — More than 1,000 Iraqi soldiers and policemen either refused to fight or simply abandoned their posts during the inconclusive assault against Shiite militias in Basra last week, a senior Iraqi government official said Thursday.

The Complicated History of John McCain and MLK Day  —  Tomorrow Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., will honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by speaking in Memphis on the 40th anniversary of King's assassination.  —  He will no doubt sound a bit different than he did in April 1987 …

Absolut arrogance and the advertising agency behind the reconquista ad  —  You know what has been heartening the past two days as reaction to the Absolut Reconquista ad continues to pour in?  The fact that so many of you still take our sovereignty seriously and are willing to give voice to your concerns without apologizing for it.

McCain returns $3m in checks as he considers public funding  —  In another sign that John McCain is moving toward accepting public financing this fall, the Republican's campaign is returning about $3 million in checks to contributors who have given money for his general election campaign …

New Signs of Mugabe Crackdown in Zimbabwe  —  Zimbabwe's government staged separate police raids on Thursday against the main opposition party, foreign journalists and at least one democracy advocate, raising the specter of a broad crackdown aimed at keeping the country's imperiled leaders in power.

Second poll shows Clinton's Pennsylvania lead shrinking  —  49% of those asked favor her, compared with 38% for Obama.  —  Clinton holds an 11-point lead in Pennsylvania, down three percentage points from mid-February, according to a survey by The Morning Call/Muhlenberg College of 406 likely Democratic voters.

The Fabulist Vs. the Saint  —  WASHINGTON — Hillary Clinton met her Waterloo at Tuzla.  She'd been regaling audiences with tales of a dangerous landing under sniper fire in Tuzla 12 years ago and then running for cover.  None of this occurred.  When CBS provided the tape, she was forced to admit to “a misstatement.”

Rep. McHenry calls U.S. soldier in Iraq a ‘two-bit security guard.’  —  Rep. McHenry calls U.S. soldier in Iraq a ‘two-bit security guard.’  —  During a public appearance on Saturday, Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-NC) belittled a U.S. soldier in Iraq who was following orders and wouldn't let McHenry …

Clinton Adviser's Colombia Talks  —  Penn Met to Discuss Free-Trade Pact  —  Fought by Senator  —  Hillary Clinton's chief campaign strategist met with Colombia's ambassador to the U.S. on Monday to discuss a bilateral free-trade agreement, a pact the presidential candidate opposes.

Obama could actually win this thing (the Pa. primary)  —  BARACK OBAMA had a pretty good week in Pennsylvania.  —  In a state that pollsters and analysts call tailor-made for Hillary Clinton, Obama is seriously challenging the fit.  —  So much so, some wonder if an unraveling's in the offing.

Dangerous assumptions  —  Roger Pielke, Jr1, Tom Wigley2 & Christopher Green3  — Roger Pielke Jr is in the Center for Science and Technology Policy Research, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309-0488, USA.  — Christopher Green is in the Department of Economics, McGill University, Montreal H3A 2T7, Canada.