White women cold toward Obama  —  Barack Obama's favorability ratings among white women have declined significantly in recent months, particularly among Democrats and independents, presenting an immediate obstacle for the likely Democratic nominee as he moves to shore up his party's base.

Ickes At The Alamo: Clinton's Delegate Counter Warns Of Defections At DNC Meeting  —  stumble digg reddit del.ico.us news trust buzz up  —  The major dispute over the Florida and Michigan delegations to the Democratic convention in Denver has now boiled down to Hillary Clinton's demand …

Memo to Scott McClellan: Here's what happened  —  Until now, we've resisted the temptation to post on former White House press secretary Scott McClellan's new book, which accuses the Bush White House of launching a propaganda campaign to sell the war in Iraq.  —  Why?  It's not news.

U.S. Cites Big Gains Against Al-Qaeda  —  Group Is Facing Setbacks Globally, CIA Chief Says  —  Less than a year after his agency warned of new threats from a resurgent al-Qaeda, CIA Director Michael V. Hayden now portrays the terrorist movement as essentially defeated in Iraq and Saudi Arabia …

Thank You, and Goodbye  —  My name is Andrew Exum, and for the past year and a half, I have had the great pleasure of editing this blog under the ridiculous pseudonym “Abu Muqawama.”  —  I started this blog as a joke - hence the tongue-in-cheek name - and have been shocked to discover …

Clinton is top candidate for Dems  —  EDITORIAL BOARD  For the first time in memory, every state will play a role in choosing a nominee for the nation's highest office.  —  Some of those parts are small, but not ours: as one of the last two primary elections, South Dakota Democrats suddenly …

The right-wing Politico cesspool  —  Politico reporter Mike Allen, formerly of The Washington Post and Time, appeared yesterday on the show of right-wing radio host Mike Gallagher.  The two of them guffawed together at how absurd are Scott McCellan's claims that the media was “deferential” …

THE POLITICS OF MASCULINITY.  —  I've been sort of struggling with whether to write this post, but after Daniel Larison and Matt Stoller both toed around the point while offering their takes on Webb, I guess it's worth doing.  Let me start by saying that this isn't really about James Webb.

How Governor Set His Stance on Gay Rights  —  When David A. Paterson was growing up and his parents would go out of town, he and his little brother would stay in Harlem with family friends they called Uncle Stanley and Uncle Ronald.  —  Uncle Stanley and Uncle Ronald, he said, were a gay couple …

Harvey Korman, 81; versatile Emmy-winning comedian  —  The late Harvey Korman, second from right, in a 1968 skit on “The Carol Burnett Show,” in which some shapely legs — and then their owners — are revealed to the audience.  From left, Betty Grable, Martha Raye, Jackie Gregory, Lyle Waggoner, Korman and Burnett.

Anger Simmers, As Some Democratic Bloggers Are Shut Out From the National Convention Floor  —  After the Democratic National Committee announced last November that it was expanding its blogger-credentialing program to include those covering state and local politics, more than 400 applications poured in.

The Reality Situation  —  You are now engaged in a campaign debate over whether to talk with Iran.  As I'm sure you both know, this is a political exercise that will have little relevance should you actually take office.  —  In the White House, you will find yourself spending more time on Iran than any other foreign policy issue.

Raising the Barr  —  Angry libertarians could be a problem for John McCain in November  —  ON MAY 25th a dysfunctional minor party picked a grumpy ex-Republican as its presidential candidate.  This may be just another quirk in the quirky history of the Libertarian Party.

Murdoch: Obama's a Rock Star  —  It was vintage Rupert Murdoch who appeared after dinner at D, holding back little in a wide-ranging discussion that touched on everything from his admiration for Barack Obama, Microsoft's aborted bid for Yahoo, and even U.S. energy policy toward domestic oil drilling …