Maliki Disagrees With Petraeus's ‘Pause,’ Says ‘U.S. Troops Should Be Pulled Out’  —  Gen. David Petraeus, top U.S. commander in Iraq, told Congress this week that he is recommending to President Bush that the United States “pause” the draw down of troops in Iraq this July for at least 45 days …

TIME Poll: Clinton 6 Points Up in Pennsylvania  —  Backed by more than half of all white female Democrats, Hillary Clinton holds a six point lead over Barack Obama in Pennsylvania, a new statewide poll by TIME reveals.

Poll suggests McCain-Rice ticket could win big  —  (CNN) - Condoleezza Rice has said she has no desire to be John McCain's running mate, but a new poll out Wednesday suggests that duo could beat the Democratic ticket in the bluest of states.  —  In a new poll conducted by Marist College and WNBC …

Obama Talks All Things LGBT with The Advocate  —  In an exclusive Chicago sit-down with The Advocate's Kerry Eleveld, Democratic front-runner Barack Obama discusses “don't ask, don't tell,” Rev. Wright, and what he would do for LGBT Americans if he becomes president.

David Brock, Dems plan $40M hit on McCain  —  Wealthy Democrats are preparing a four-month, $40 million media campaign centered on attacks on Senator John McCain.  And it will be led by David Brock, the former investigative reporter who first gained fame in the 1990s as a right-wing, anti-Clinton journalist.

Petraeus Meets His Match  —  Senator Joseph Lieberman has become something of an agent provocateur in the semiannual Petraeus-Crocker hearings staged by the U.S. Senate.  This semester he chose to open his remarks by chastising unnamed colleagues for having a “hear no progress …

Suspended Talk Show Host Randi Rhodes Quits Air America (UPDATED)  —  Campaign 2008 has now claimed its first talk show host for going over the line: Air America talk show host Randi Rhodes, who was suspended from the progressive talk radio network after using expletives to describe Democrats Hillary Clinton …

Judge Dismisses Core of Dan Rather Suit  —  Breaking: The judge in Dan Rather's lawsuit against CBS has issued a motion to dismiss most of the case.  CBS News confirms.  —  Developing...  > More: TVNewser has learned most of issues of the lawsuit have been dismissed.

EXCLUSIVE: Powell Praises Obama, Fears Afghanistan Growing ‘More Difficult’ Than Iraq  —  General Says Next President Will Face Long Struggle, Troop Strain in Two-Front Battle  —  Retired Gen. Colin Powell insists he hasn't yet decided who he'll back in the 2008 presidential election.

MORE ON TRADE....Speaking of trade policy (see below), there's little doubt that the biggest remaining distortion in global trade comes in the form of agricultural tariffs and (especially) subsidies.  The European Union's CAP program is at least as bad as anything we do — probably worse, in fact — but what we do is plenty bad.

Elton John Radio City fund-raiser earns Hillary Clinton $2.5M  —  Elton John used Hillary Clinton's $2.5 million fund-raiser at Radio City Music Hall Wednesday night to stand up for women's rights.  —  “I never cease to be amazed at the misogynistic attitude of some of the people of this country …

Pardon Me, but Your Door Is Terribly Offensive  —  Getting one's own office can be a rite of passage right up there with defending a dissertation or receiving tenure — and many professors' lairs are reflections of their own attitudes and beliefs.  Usually, it takes just a quick glance at the door …

The Blogger Mom, In Your Face  —  Lots of businesses get hate mail, but few owners react the way Heather Armstrong does.  She prints out nasty emails, puts them in her driveway and drives over them with her car.  “That's the attitude I have,” she says, “and it's made my life a thousand percent better.”

CBS News, Katie Couric Are Likely to Part Ways  —  Barring a Change, Departure Could Follow the Election;  —  A Successor to Larry King?  —  After two years of record-low ratings, both CBS News executives and people close to Katie Couric say that the “CBS Evening News” …

No, Hillary Clinton shouldn't be winning  —  Sean Wilentz spun a fantasy in his Salon piece about Clinton's electability.  In the real world, it's Barack Obama who's more electable.  —  Sen. Barack Obama at a campaign rally in Ohio.  —  Hillary Rodham Clinton has won fewer votes this spring in contested primaries than Barack Obama.

“My Answer Is No”  —  A conversation with President Bush.  —  I SPENT ABOUT 40 minutes with President Bush in the Oval Office late yesterday afternoon, in a meeting whose purpose was to allow the president to preview the Iraq speech he's giving today.  —  We ended up spending more than half the time on other matters.

2 Camps Trying to Influence McCain on Foreign Policy  —  WASHINGTON — Senator John McCain has long made his decades of experience in foreign policy and national security the centerpiece of his political identity, and suggests he would bring to the White House a fully formed view of the world.

The Story of Barack Obama's Mother  —  Each of us lives a life of contradictory truths.  We are not one thing or another.  Barack Obama's mother was at least a dozen things.  S. Ann Soetoro was a teen mother who later got a Ph.D. in anthropology; a white woman from the Midwest …