Obama holds 12-point lead over McCain, poll finds  —  A Times/Bloomberg Poll says that in a two-man contest, 49% of respondents favor Barack Obama, while 37% support John McCain.  With Ralph Nader and Bob Barr added to the mix, Obama holds 15-point edge.  —  » Discuss Article WASHINGTON …

SPOTLIGHT: Telco PACs Gave $8K to Dems Who Changed Their Vote on FISA  —  For Immediate Release:  —  HOUSE DEMS WHO CHANGED THEIR VOTE TO SUPPORT FISA BILL, GIVING IMMUNITY TO TELCOS, RECEIVED, ON AVERAGE, $8,359 IN PAC CONTRIBUTIONS FROM VERIZON, AT&T, AND SPRINT

Color Oregon blue?  —  A fairly stunning new ad from Oregon's Republican senator Gordon Smith leaves little doubt as to which way the wind is blowing there.  —  In the ad, Smith, running hard away from Bush, associates himself at length and explicitly with Obama.

Seizing Laptops and Cameras Without Cause  —  A controversial customs practice creates a legal backlash  —  Returning from a brief vacation to Germany in February, Bill Hogan was selected for additional screening by customs officials at Dulles International Airport outside Washington …

Obama To Hammer McCain On Offshore Drilling “Gimmick”  —  From CBS News' Maria Gavrilovic:  —  (LAS VEGAS) Offshore drilling continues to be a major sticking point between Barack Obama and John McCain, and the two candidates are still jabbing at each other's position for the second week.

Dying Is Hard.  Comedy Is Harder.  —  THE honest truth is, for a comedian, even death is just a premise to make jokes about.  I know this because I was on the phone with George Carlin nine days ago and we were making some death jokes.  We were talking about Tim Russert and Bo Diddley and George said: “I feel safe for a while.

Report Sees Illegal Hiring Practices at Justice Dept.  —  WASHINGTON — Justice Department officials over the last six years illegally used “political or ideological” factors to hire new lawyers into an elite recruitment program, tapping law school graduates with conservative credentials …

They Like Him, They Really Like Him  —  Ladies and Gentlemen, may I present the Constitutional Sell-out of the year award (brought to you by The Politico and the good people from Depends): … .  —  What a guy.  Clearly, those who demand that the party should hew closer to the positions …

Surge Protection  —  I think David Brooks has it essentially right here about Bush's stubborness—as opposed to his knowledge of strategy or tactics or the situation on the ground in Iraq—as the reason why he made the correct choice on Iraq in late 2006.  But, as Brooks says, history is complicated …

Why Trains Just Don't Work in America  —  Even if you're crazy about trains, you'd have to be nuts to expect that they could ever compete with air travel in a country this size.  —  I just want to make it clear from the outset: I love trains.  When I lived in New York and Connecticut …