Independents begin to edge away from President Obama  —  In a potentially alarming trend for the White House, independent voters are deserting President Barack Obama nationally and especially in key swing states, recent polls suggest.  —  Obama's job approval rating hit a — still healthy …

SEN. ESPADA RETURNING TO DEMOCRATS  —  POWER IN ALBANY FLIPS AGAIN  —  ALBANY - Bronx state Sen. Pedro Espada, whose defection to the Republican camp helped trigger the current Senate crisis, will return to the Democratic fold and end the month-long Senate stalemate, The Post has learned.

Coburn Claims Constitutional Shield on Advice to Ensign  —  Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) on Thursday said he would not testify in court or before the Ethics Committee about any advice he gave Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.) on how to handle his affair with a former staffer, citing constitutional protections …

Iowa GOP wants Palin at dinner  —  Iowa Republican Party officials Wednesday said they are aggressively courting Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin to headline the state GOP's premier annual fundraising event.  —  And they have put a well-connected Des Moines woman in charge of trying to land …

Mike Allen  —  Mike Allen is the chief political correspondent for Politico.  He comes to us from Time magazine where he was their White House correspondent.  Prior to that, Allen spent six years at The Washington Post, where he covered President Bush's first term, Capitol Hill, campaign finance …