This Is an Ex-Candidate  —  C ustomer: “Look, matey, I know a dead parrot when I see one, and I'm looking at one right now.”  —  Pet-shop owner: “No, no he's not dead, he's — he's resting!  Remarkable bird, the Norwegian blue, isn't it, aye?  Beautiful plumage!”

Analysis: House GOP hits new low, faces bleak Nov.  —  The sky is falling on House Republicans and there is no sign of it letting up.  —  The GOP loss in Mississippi's special election Tuesday is the strongest sign yet that the Republican Party is in shambles.

Go away you horrible human being  —  IT'S NOT CLOSE.  YOU FREAKING LOST THE NOMINATION, WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?  —  Good God.  What is wrong with her?  The Clintons and their campaign staff don't give a damn that they are now hurting our electoral chances in the fall against McCain and against the Republicans in Congress.

Good Timing For Jim Webb  —  How 'bout that?  Sen. Jim Webb's new book will be released on May 15, just as reporters like me start to speculate about his chances of becoming Sen. Barack Obama's vice presidential nominee.  —  “A Time To Fight: Reclaiming a Just And Fair America” …

Obama Gaffes on Iraq and Afghanistan  —  ABC News' David Wright and Sunlen Miller Report: Sporting a shiny new American flag pin at an appearance in Rush Limbaugh's hometown, Sen. Barack Obama came up with some novel reasons why the U.S. may be struggling in the war in Afghanistan.

Italian's Detention Illustrates Dangers Foreign Visitors Face  —  He was a carefree Italian with a recent law degree from a Roman university.  She was “a totally Virginia girl,” as she puts it, raised across the road from George Washington's home.  Their romance, sparked by a 2006 meeting …

Tom Friedman's latest declaration of war  —  (updated below w/correction - Update II)  —  Today's a very exciting day in America.  Our nation's most Serious foreign policy expert, the brilliant Thomas Friedman of The New York Times, has today declared our latest new war: … So congratulations to us.

Six Minutes With Barack  —  The Democratic Presidential frontrunner talks timber payments, Gordon Smith and of course tattoos.  —  Sen. Barack Obama once remarked on the long odds of a “skinny guy from the South Side with a funny name” finding success in American politics.

Rumsfeld On 2006 Election: “The Correction For That...Is An Attack”  —  An ongoing exploration of the documents related to the Pentagon's “message force multipliers” program has unearthed a clip of former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld suggesting that America, having voted the Democrats …

Rendell: Obama should ask Clinton to be VP  —  (CNN)-Governor Ed Rendell's name has recently come up as a potential running mate for Barack Obama, but the Pennslyvania Governor said Wednesday, why settle for a Clinton supporter when you can have the real deal.

Obama, Clinton Both Top McCain In November Face-Off, Quinnipiac University National Poll Finds; Most Democrats Back Obama-Clinton ‘dream Ticket’  —  Either one of the two Democratic contenders, Illinois Sen. Barack Obama or New York Sen. Hillary Clinton, leads the likely Republican presidential nominee …

Some Detainees Are Drugged For Deportation  —  Immigrants Sedated Without Medical Reason  —  The U.S. government has injected hundreds of foreigners it has deported with dangerous psychotropic drugs against their will to keep them sedated during the trip back to their home country …

Antoin ‘Tony’ Rezko's fate now lies with the jury  —  Prosecutors, defense wrap up closing arguments  —  The federal corruption trial that has sent ripples through the administration of Gov. Rod Blagojevich has reached its final stage, and the fate of political insider Antoin “Tony” Rezko is now in the hands of the jury.

HUSSAYN'S STORY  —  The visual-only sim can be a stomach-churner, but a couple of the IqAF Fling-Wing pilots who have come up here from Taji are pretty tough - the only thing that gets to them is my coffee.  —  Hussayn was recovering from a cup of my extra-strength double espresso with a bottle …

ACLU Obtains Defense Department Documents About Prisoner Deaths And Interrogations  —  CONTACT: (212) 549-2666; media@aclu.org  —  NEW YORK - The American Civil Liberties Union has obtained previously withheld documents from the Defense Department, including internal investigations into the abuse of detainees in U.S. custody overseas.