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 …

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 …

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 …

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.

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. …

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.

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.

Bad Frame  —  WaPo/ABC takes a poll: … Opinion on that question comes out 50-49 which goes to show mostly that it'll be deadly for progressives to let that kind of framing stand.  The implication here is that McCain is hewing to some kind of agnostic middle ground about troop departures, letting the schedule be dictated by events.

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.”

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.

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 …

Houston exec denies selling access to Bush aides (w/video)  —  House panel investigating Stephen Payne after London report that he offered Central Asian officials meetings in return for contributions to president's library  —  WASHINGTON — A House committee Monday launched an investigation …

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 …

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 …