Poll Finds Voters Split on Candidates' Iraq-Pullout Positions  —  A new Washington Post-ABC News poll finds the country split down the middle between those backing Sen. Barack Obama's 16-month timeline for withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq and those agreeing with Sen. John McCain's position that events …

Ventura: I'm not running for Senate  —  (CNN) — Former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura has decided not to run for U.S. Senate in that state, he told CNN's “Larry King Live” Monday night.  —  Ventura, a former professional wrestler, had said last week he was weighing whether to run.

Want Obama in a Punch Line?  First, Find a Joke  —  What's so funny about Barack Obama?  Apparently not very much, at least not yet.  —  On Monday, The New Yorker magazine tried dipping its toe into broad satire involving Senator Obama with a cover image depicting the presumptive Democratic …

Obama purges Web critique of surge  —  WASHINGTON - Barack Obama's campaign scrubbed his presidential Web site over the weekend to remove criticism of the U.S. troop “surge” in Iraq, the Daily News has learned.  —  The presumed Democratic nominee replaced his Iraq issue Web page …

Will the ‘Dream Act’ be a nightmare for McCain?  —  John McCain, recognizing the importance of Latino voters in the upcoming election, spoke to the National Council of La Raza yesterday.  He told the audience, “I do ask for your trust,” adding, “I think I have earned that trust.”

Suicide Bombers Kill 35 Iraqi Recruits  —  BAGHDAD — Two suicide bombers posing as army recruits struck an Iraqi base just east of Baquba on Tuesday morning, killing at least 35 Iraqi recruits and wounding 63, according to the Iraqi police and medical officials in Diyala Province.

Heedless Rush to Oil Shale  —  To hear Bush touting Western oil shale as the answer to $4 per gallon gasoline, as he did again yesterday in the Rose Garden, you would think it was 1908 . . . or 1920 . . . or 1945 . . . or 1974.  Every couple of decades over the past century …

Tillman Investigation Hampered by ‘Near Universal Lack of Recall’  —  Report Sought Answers on Who Knew About Friendly Fire Incident  —  White House officials interviewed as part of an investigation into the misleading information given to the public and the Tillman family in the weeks …

Hill Democrats miffed at Obama  —  After a brief bout of Obamamania, some Capitol Hill Democrats have begun to complain privately that Barack Obama's presidential campaign is insular, uncooperative and inattentive to their hopes for a broad Democratic victory in November.

A New Frontier for Title IX: Science  —  Until recently, the impact of Title IX, the law forbidding sexual discrimination in education, has been limited mostly to sports.  But now, under pressure from Congress, some federal agencies have quietly picked a new target: science.

President Bush Discusses Outer Continental Shelf Exploration  —  Fact Sheet: Allowing Offshore Exploration to Help Address Rising Fuel Costs  —  THE PRESIDENT: Good afternoon.  Across the country, Americans are concerned about the high price of gasoline.  Every one of our citizens who drives to work …

District Gun Bill Goes to Council  —  Officials Anticipate More Legal Action On Weapon Types  —  Within weeks, District residents could legally keep handguns in their homes under emergency legislation that goes to the D.C. Council today, as officials try to comply with the Supreme Court ruling rejecting the city's handgun ban.

A Challenge From the Obama Generation  —  A 21-year incumbent and an icon of the civil rights movement, Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), is racing around his Atlanta district like a first-time candidate.  —  He has appeared at six or seven churches every Sunday, posed for cameras as he mowed …

McCain Will Call for a Surge of Troops to Afghanistan  —  WASHINGTON — Senator McCain will announce plans today for an Iraq-style “surge” of troops in Afghanistan.  —  An adviser to the campaign told The New York Sun that, in a speech to be delivered in Albuquerque, N.M. …