Zogby Poll: Obama Holding Lead in NC; Race Still Deadlocked in Indiana  —  UTICA, New York - Democrat Barack Obama of Illinois holds a nine point lead in North Carolina, and has now edged ahead of Hillary Clinton of New York by a statistically insignificant two points in Indiana, a pair of new Zogby daily tracking telephone polls show.

Guam by seven, J-Mart on the age issue, Perino in Pueblo, Townsend to CNN  —  BREAKING NEWS: RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says the year-end goal of an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal is still achievable.  —  Good Sunday morning.  Hope Den 2 is having a chigger-free campout.

Hillary's Horse  —  Tragedy struck the first filly in the Kentucky Derby since 1999, as Eight Belles went down on the track after her second-place finish today, broke two ankles, and was euthanized.  —  Showing a sisterhood with the female horse, Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y. …

Louisiana Democrat Takes House Seat  —  NEW ORLEANS — A Democrat took an open Congressional seat long held by Republicans in the conservative district around Baton Rouge in a special election Saturday, giving the party an early boost in its quest for an increased majority in the House of Representatives.

The Silent Scream of the Asparagus  —  You just knew it was coming: At the request of the Swiss government, an ethics panel has weighed in on the “dignity” of plants and opined that the arbitrary killing of flora is morally wrong.  This is no hoax.  The concept of what could be called “plant rights” is being seriously debated.

Saudis' secret agenda  —  THE cheque from the Saudi Government for $360,000 was enclosed in an envelope.  —  It was a donation, a gift, a part payment to subsidise the construction of a building that would become Sydney's Muslim heartbeat: Lakemba mosque.  More than 35 years …

Partisan Trends  —  Election 2008 Creating Record Number of Democrats  —  The ongoing race for the Democratic Presidential Nomination may be causing angst for party leaders, but the competition has been good for the Party label.  In fact, the Democrats now have the largest partisan advantage …

Strategic Collapse in the War on Terror  —  Words matter, and in the global war on terror we are losing the battle of words, in a self-inflicted defeat.  The consequences could not be more profound.  —  Recent government policy memoranda, circulating through the national counter-terrorism …

Greetings from Guantanamo Bay ... and the sickest souvenir shop in the world  —  The sands are white, the sea laps gently and crowds of bronzed Americans laze in the Caribbean sunshine.  —  They have a cinema, a golf course and, naturally, a gift shop stocked with mugs …

The All-White Elephant in the Room  —  BORED by those endless replays of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright?  If so, go directly to YouTube, search for “John Hagee Roman Church Hitler,” and be recharged by a fresh jolt of clerical jive.  —  What you'll find is a white televangelist, the Rev. John Hagee …

United States is drawing up plans to strike on Iranian insurgency camp  —  Read Mick Smith's defence blog at www.timesonline.co.uk/micksmith  —  The US military is drawing up plans for a “surgical strike” against an insurgent training camp inside Iran if Republican Guards continue with attempts …

Republican Ron Paul predicts a President Obama come January  —  Rep. Ron Paul, the House member from Texas who technically remains in the race for the Republican Party's presidential nomination against Sen. John McCain, predicts that Democratic Sen. Barack Obama will be the next president of the United States.