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 …

Women, Blacks Give Obama 9 - Point Lead Over McCain, Quinnipiac University National Poll Finds; Men Are Split And Whites Tip To Republican  —  With commanding leads among women and young voters and near unanimous support from black voters, Illinois Sen. Barack Obama has a 50 …

Economy Will Stay Sluggish, Bernanke Tells Congress  —  WASHINGTON — Warning of the dual risks of a further slowdown and higher inflation, Ben S. Bernanke, chairman of the Federal Reserve, offered a gloomy assessment Tuesday of any immediate prospect for improvement in American economic difficulties …

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. …

McCain praises Romney's surrogate skills  —  (CNN) — Is Mitt Romney's VP stock rising?  —  John McCain's campaign has remained tight-lipped about its vice presidential vetting process, but the Arizona senator appeared to suggest Monday night his former rival would make a very effective running mate.

OFPS  —  Listen Pete, I developed internal business productivity software for Microsoft for seven years and was a committed Microsoft fan since the early 80s.  —  Working at the company strained my enthusiasm and then Vista combined with Office 2007 destroyed it.

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 …

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.

Sanford flubs on CNN interview  —  Governor threatens VP chances after drawing blank on Blitzer question  —  Political observers online and on television Monday wondered if a gaffe-filled Sunday TV appearance by South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford has eliminated him as a viable Republican vice presidential candidate.

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.”

At the Uneasy Intersection of Bloggers and the Law  —  There is no better way to get a blogger talking than by telling him what he cannot publish — although you might forgive a government prosecutor for thinking otherwise.  —  A grand jury subpoena sent by prosecutors in the Bronx earlier …

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.

Global warming may increase kidney stones: researchers … More Americans are likely to suffer from kidney stones in the coming years as a result of global warming, according to researchers at the University of Texas.  —  Kidney stones, which are formed from dissolved minerals in the urine …