Sources: Top Bush Advisors Approved ‘Enhanced Interrogation’  —  Detailed Discussions Were Held About Techniques to Use on al Qaeda Suspects  —  By JAN CRAWFORD GREENBURG, HOWARD L. ROSENBERG and ARIANE de VOGUE  —  In dozens of top-secret talks and meetings in the White House …

McCain not yet golden in California  —  Here are four things you need to know about John McCain and California:  —  1. If McCain wins California in November, he almost certainly will become the next president of the United States.  —  The Democratic nominee would find it extremely difficult …

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” …

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.

Elton John: ‘To hell with them’  —  There's a real crowd at Radio City, complete with scalpers, and lines around the block for Elton John and the Clintons.  —  Toward the back of one line: Frank Luntz, Lanny Davis, and Doug Schoen.  ("I used to be in business with Mark Penn," Schoen joked.)

Sophie Masloff to endorse Hillary Clinton  —  Former Pittsburgh Mayor Sophie Masloff will endorse Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton when the New York senator appears this evening for the Allegheny County Democratic Party's Jefferson-Jackson Dinner at Heinz Field.  —  “It's been very difficult …

Murray's Senate Profile Rises as Byrd Recovers  —  With Robert C. Byrd ailing, Senate Democrats are eyeing Patty Murray as a potential backup if Byrd is unable to serve as manager for the next war supplemental, top Democratic aides say.  —  Although no decisions have been made …

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.

Iraq's Military Seen as Lagging  —  WASHINGTON — The recommendation by the top American commander in Iraq to suspend troop reductions reflects a bleak assessment that Iraqi forces remain unprepared to take over the mission of securing their own nation, senior administration and military officials said Wednesday.

Inside the Middle Class: Bad Times Hit the Good Life  —  Executive Summary  —  This report on the attitudes and lives of the American middle class combines results of a new Pew Research Center national public opinion survey with the center's analysis of relevant economic and demographic trend data from the Census Bureau.

Allies of Palestinians see a friend in Obama  —  They consider him receptive despite his clear support of Israel.  —  CHICAGO — It was a celebration of Palestinian culture — a night of music, dancing and a dash of politics.  Local Arab Americans were bidding farewell to Rashid Khalidi …

Hey, why bother with a trial?  —  As revealed here a few weeks ago, the investigative unit of the Ontario “Human Rights” Commission recommended to the Commissioners that they not proceed against Maclean's for having the temerity to publish an excerpt from my book.

Gay press frustrated by Obama approach  —  Mark Segal didn't want to wait.  After weeks of requests to interview Barack Obama, the publisher of the Philadelphia Gay News concluded the senator's aides may never make him available.  —  So even as the Obama campaign held out the possibility …

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.

Pelosi's Bad Faith  —  The Democratic Party's protectionist make-over was completed yesterday, when Nancy Pelosi decided to kill the Colombia free trade agreement.  Her objections had nothing to do with the evidence and everything to do with politics, but this was an act of particular bad faith.

The Sports World in Foul Territory  —  Having made a living for almost 50 years covering politics, I've never been under any illusions about where it stands in the larger scheme of things.  Politics has its fans, but it holds nothing like the fascination that millions of Americans have with sports.