Barack Obama makes a one-fingered gesture while speaking of Hillary Clinton  —  This is one of those political moments that really needs few words.  —  We'll no doubt hear much more about this incident in coming days.  —  Right now, we'll just leave this video for Ticket readers to view and judge for themselves.

Gallup Daily: Clinton Moves Within 3 Points of Obama  —  Thursday night interviewing suggests Obama may have been hurt by debate  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Gallup Poll Daily tracking shows a tightening of the national Democratic race, with Barack Obama now holding just a 3-percentage point advantage over Hillary Clinton, 47% to 44%.

FIRST THOUGHTS: OBAMANATION'S POWER  —  From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, and Domenico Montanaro  —  *** ObamaNation's power: Curious of what the bitterness and anger could look like if Obama is somehow denied the Democratic nomination?  Check out the reaction from the ObamaNation over Wednesday's debate.

CBS Poll: Obama Dominant At Pa. Colleges  —  CBS News/UWIRE Poll Shows Students Paying Close Attention, Overwhelmingly Favor Ill. Senator  —  (CBS) Most students attending four-year colleges and universities in Pennsylvania are enthusiastic about voting in the presidential campaign …

HMMMM  —  Remember that woman from the debate last night who the moderators showed videotape of asking whether Barack Obama “believes in the flag”?  Her name is Nash McCabe.  —  I remember thinking it was sort of odd to have a couple one-off uses of ordinary voter questions when it didn't really seem like it was part of the format.

Pentagon institute calls Iraq war ‘a major debacle’ with outcome ‘in doubt’  —  WASHINGTON — The war in Iraq has become “a major debacle” and the outcome “is in doubt” despite improvements in security from the buildup in U.S. forces, according to a highly critical study published Thursday …

WILL THE SUPERDELEGATES BREAK?  —  The Other Klein thinks that Clinton may have ended her campaign in Pennsylvania by going so forcefully negative.  Maybe so.  Or maybe not.  I've stopped trying to predict these things.  But the Clinton campaign made a huge tactical error in jumping on the …

How Obama Fell to Earth  —  Back in Iowa, Barack Obama promised to be something new — an unconventional leader who would confront unpleasant truths, embrace novel policies and unify the country.  If he had knocked Hillary Clinton out in New Hampshire and entered general-election mode early …

Joe Scarborough Walks Off MSNBC's “Race To The White House” After Exchange With Rachel Maddow  —  “Joe didn't walk off.  He chose not to participate in the final couple of minutes of the discussion because he felt the conversation didn't fit his role as a political analyst.”  —  Previously:

GOP Doom  —  Here's Ben Schneider's lead from yesterday's Congress Daily: … You know things are bad when your political party won't even pretend it's possible that they'll pick up seats months ahead of an election.  Back in January 2007, the congressional Republicans reached the conclusion …

The art that was obviously a hoax was a hoax.  —  WaPo reports: … I wish the WaPo would report that in addition to the “outcry on the Internet,” there were plenty of people, including myself, who immediately spotted a hoax. … Ambiguity surrounding form and function of a woman's body …

So, Mr Putin, what do you see in this nubile 24-year-old rhythmic gymnast?  —  This is the kind of question Mrs Merton might ask:  —  'So, Vladimir Putin, President of Russia, what do you see in a 24-year-old, sensationally beautiful gymnast with a penchant for posing semi-naked …

While McCain Watches  —  On Tuesday Hillary Clinton made the best speech of her campaign.  She told the American Society of Newspaper Editors how she conceives “the power and promise of the presidency.”  She asserted that President Bush had been “unready” for the office, did not understand its …