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 …

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 …

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

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 …

I've Never Seen An Ad Like This  —  Sen. Gordon Smith (R-OR) brags in a new television advertisement that he was worked closely and fruitfully with — and the music really does swell — Barack Obama.  —  Not Smith's good friend John McCain.  —  But Barack Obama.

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 …

OBAMA/MCCAIN: ‘PSYCHOLOGICAL’ BENEFIT?  —  Yesterday, McCain admitted that his offshore drilling proposal would probably have mostly “psychological” benefits, NBC/NJ's Adam Aigner-Treworgy reports.  At a town hall in Fresno that primarily focused on energy issues, McCain was asked a question …

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.

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 …

McCain's Core Advantage  —  In politics, we're having a Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr kind of year.  It was Karr, a French writer, who coined the phrase plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose, which means, as Barack Obama has shown, that the more things change, the more they stay the same.