Congress To Hear Of Gains In Iraq  —  Petraeus, Crocker To Face Impatient Lawmakers  —  In a reprise of their testimony last September, Army Gen. David H. Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker plan to tell Congress today and tomorrow that security has improved in Iraq and that the government …

Iraq: Al-Mahdi army offers to lay down its arms  —  Iraq's largest and most dangerous militia will voluntarily disband if Shia scholars advise its leader to do so, officials said yesterday — a dramatic move that could quell much of the fighting in the war-torn country.

Obama Catching Up With Clinton In Pennsylvania, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; She's Losing Ground Even Among Women  —  Illinois Sen. Barack Obama is catching up with New York Sen. Hillary Clinton in the Pennsylvania Democratic primary and now trails 50 - 44 percent among likely primary voters …

Secret US plan for military future in Iraq  —  A confidential draft agreement covering the future of US forces in Iraq, passed to the Guardian, shows that provision is being made for an open-ended military presence in the country.  —  The draft strategic framework agreement between the US …

Iraq War Attitudes Politically Polarized  —  Republicans generally favor the war; Democrats oppose it  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Republicans reject the idea of a timetable for withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq, by a better than 2-to-1 margin, 65% to 32%.  Democrats show an even greater margin …

A Tale of Three Lawyers  —  On Thursday in the National Press Club in Washington, a crowd gathered to witness the presentation of the Ridenhour Prize for Truth-Telling to Lieutenant Commander Matthew Diaz.  The story of Matthew Diaz was chronicled in this space repeatedly (also here and here).

McCain Fundraising: A Call to Arms  —  As much as I don't want to sound unhelpful, it's time for a little tough love.  If anyone thinks McCain raising $15 million in March is good news — and crucially, just $4M of it from online and direct mail — then they're probably part of the problem rather than part of the solution.

Perkins, Toomey for Senate?  —  While most political observers are focused on the protracted Democratic primary fight between the senator from the state of New York and the senator from the state of Hope, rumors have been swirling in conservative circles that two of the movement's …

Shift at Top May Mean Shift in Tone for Clinton  —  WASHINGTON — “This isn't exactly what I was planning on when I woke up this morning,” Geoff Garin e-mailed Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton after a hasty weekend shake-up left him atop her campaign's strategy team.  —  Mrs. Clinton answered his dry humor in kind.

Cheney Could Keep Security Detail  —  Secret Service Calls 6-Month Extension Prudent, Probable  —  The man code-named “Angler” by the Secret Service will probably continue to receive the agency's protection long after he leaves office next year.  —  The Secret Service is preparing …

Bill Clinton Visits Puerto Rico, Rich in Culture and Delegates  —  The four sound trucks filed onto potholed streets at 8 o'clock Monday morning, weighed down by the 800-pound speakers rigged to their roofs.  They drove past the pineapple plantations, past the black-sand beaches, past the multicolored tiendas downtown.

Surprising Political Endorsements By U.S. Troops  —  American Soldiers Speak Out About Their Presidential Endorsements  —  ABC's Martha Raddatz asked American soldiers in Iraq what issues are most important to them when looking at the presidential candidates.

Why Rice Will Not Be VP  —  This Condi for Veep hype is political madness.  —  Whatever Condi's impressive attributes, picking her for VP would be a lunatic move:  —  1) It is the perfect way to make the general election an endless re-hash of the Bush Teams many mistakes in Iraq.