McCain erases Obama lead  —  WASHINGTON - Republican Sen. John McCain has erased Sen. Barack Obama's 10-point advantage in a head-to-head matchup, leaving him essentially tied with both Democratic candidates in an Associated Press-Ipsos national poll released Thursday.

IRAN'S BUSTED IRAQ BID  —  BASRA ‘RISING’ WAS TEHRAN'S OP  —  A GAMBLE that proved too costly.  —  That's how analysts in Tehran describe events last month in Basra.  Iran's state-run media have de facto confirmed that this was no spontaneous “uprising.”

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 …

Randi Rhodes Quits Air America Rather Than Apologize For Hillary Clinton “F*cking Whore” Remark; “There's Relief And Joy” At The Station  —  Update: The Huffington Post has learned that Randi Rhodes quit Air America after being asked by the network to apologize for her inflammatory remarks against Hillary Clinton and Geraldine Ferraro.

29% Favor National Health Insurance Overseen by Federal Government  —  Twenty-nine percent (29%) of American adults favor a national health insurance program overseen by the Federal Government.  A Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that 39% oppose such a government-led initiative while 31% are not sure.

SHOCKING— New Obama Audio Posted Online!  —  This is just amazing.  —  If Obama really wanted to have a talk about race he could start by explaining his hateful words on this audio.  —  (9 minutes 53 seconds)  —  Bob McCarty also finds it shocking.  —  The Elector of Saxony said it best in an earlier post:

Obama: I'm not ‘getting fresh or anything’  —  (CNN) - Barack Obama appeared to have a bit of an awkward moment on the campaign trail in South Bend, Indiana.  —  From the pool report:  —  “[Obama] posed for report pictures with the staff when he apparently felt his phone start to vibrate …

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.

Carter and Hamas  —  It's an opportunity for Obama to draw a line, and he takes it:

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.

Obama: Elie Weisel is a piker  —  Someone at the Barack Obama campaign had better start watching the hyperbole meter when Obama gets off script.  When a questioner at a Levittown event asked Obama about his church's fascination with Louis Farrakhan, Obama offered a very strange defense.

McCain Gets the Boot From Project Vote Smart  —  Project Vote Smart, the nonpartisan voter-education nonprofit, confirms today that it has kicked John McCain off its board.  Mother Jones reported on Monday that PVS was prepared to make the move due to McCain's nine-month refusal to fill out its Political Courage Test.

As Election Race Shifts, so do Women's Opinions of the Candidates, With Perception of Hillary Clinton Changing the Most  —  New Lifetime Networks' Every Woman Counts poll takes women's political pulse.  —  Sign In or Register to Assign a Topic  —  New York — As part of its Every Woman Counts campaign …

The Secret History of Neoconservatism  —  The furor over the supposedly perfidious influence of “neocons” in the making of Bush foreign policy seems to have died down a bit.  But it will nevertheless remain part of the lasting legend about this administration.

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.

Killing in the Name of Safety?  —  With the FAA grounding flights in the name of safety, few people seem to have appreciated that the action may well kill people.  —  Bear with me.  Not all those whose flights have been canceled will cancel their trips.  Some will find slots on other airlines …