Haaretz Poll: Most Israelis see Obama as fair and friendly  —  U.S. President Barack Obama's popularity may be declining in American public opinion, but a sweeping majority of Israelis think his treatment of this country is friendly and fair, according to a Haaretz-Dialog poll conducted this week.

Stephen Lynch strong ‘no’ on health bill despite talk with President Obama  —  Not even President Barack Obama could sway U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch from voting against a health-care reform package now headed for a dramatic weekend showdown.  —  After emerging from a 40-minute Oval Office meeting …

The Misinformed Tea Party Movement  —  For an antitax group, they don't know much about taxes.  —  On March 16 the Tea Party crowd showed up for yet another demonstration on Capitol Hill in Washington.  Curious about the factual knowledge these people have regarding the issues they are protesting …

Ensign's refusal to resign harms many in his circle  —  It's no longer a question of “if” but of “when” between now and January 2013 that John Ensign's short, previously happy, suddenly unhappy life as a senator will end.  —  One week after I told you about Ensign's breathtakingly obtuse statement through …

Boccieri decision at 10:40  —  Freshman Rep. John Boccieri (D-Ohio) will announce his health care vote at a press conference at 10:40 a.m. at the Capitol.  —  The fact that he's holding a press conference suggests it's a win for the Democratic leadership.  It seems unlikely he'd make a big show …

CBO: Obamacare Would Cost Over $2 Trillion  —  The CBO's most recent analysis is out, and it's not likely to convince wavering House Democrats to jump to the Obamacare side of the fence.  Even the Democrats are granting that the latest version of their proposed health care overhaul would cost $69 billion more than the previous version.

Now for the Slaughter  —  On the road to Demon Pass, our leader encounters a Baier.  —  Excuse me, but it is embarrassing—really, embarrassing to our country—that the president of the United States has again put off a state visit to Australia and Indonesia because he's having trouble passing …

After a Bitter Campaign, Forging an Alliance  —  WASHINGTON — On a snowy Thursday shortly before her weekly meeting with President Obama last month, Hillary Rodham Clinton got a distressing phone call: her husband, Bill Clinton, was in a hospital with chest pains and needed an urgent heart procedure.

Deal Near on Gitmo, Detainee Trials  —  The White House is nearing a deal with a bipartisan group of senators to close the Guantanamo Bay prison and pave the way for more detainees to be tried before military commissions, a move that would reverse a signature Obama administration security policy.

In Health Vote, Democrats Weigh Success vs. Survival  —  WASHINGTON — In the homestretch of the health care debate, one obvious question being asked across the capital is whether Speaker Nancy Pelosi will find 216 votes to pass the bill.  For a group of particularly jittery Democrats …

Romney leads tight Republican race  —  Our first national look at who Republicans would prefer as their 2012 Presidential nominee confirms the wide open nature of the field.  The leading candidates are all within the margin of error of each other, with Mitt Romney leading at 28% followed by Mike Huckabee at 24% and Sarah Palin at 23%.

Joint Statement by the Quartet  —  Washington, DC  —  The Quartet - U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, U.S. Special Envoy for Middle East Peace George Mitchell, and High Representative for Foreign Affairs …

Discrediting the legislative process itself  —  So far in the health-care debate, Republicans have attacked the legitimacy of private negotiations, parochial dealmaking, the budget reconciliation process, self-executing rules, the Congressional Budget Office's analyses, and even the constitutionality of the legislation.

State of the health care debate: Talk radio attacks an 11-year old  —  WASHINGTON — Conservative talk show hosts and columnists have ridiculed an 11-year-old Washington state boy's account of his mother's death as a “sob story” exploited by the White House and congressional Democrats like a …

The Undecideds  —  Political circumstances have changed for many members since the November health care vote, but especially for those who have announced their retirements in the ensuing months.  —  Without ballot box pressures, it will be extremely difficult for these members to turn …

Computer glitch blamed for years of police raids on elderly Brooklyn couple's home  —  A computer database glitch has sent police to the home of an elderly Brooklyn couple more than 50 times since 2002, sheepish cops admitted today.  —  Walter and Rose Martin endured the most recent raid on Tuesday …

Ex-general links gay troops to Bosnian genocide  —  A retired Marine general told senators on Thursday that the Dutch Army failed to protect the city of Srebrenica during the Bosnian war partly because of the presence of gay soldiers in its armed forces.  —  John J. Sheehan …

Blair's fight to keep his oil cash secret: Former PM's deals are revealed as his earnings since 2007 reach £20million  —  Tony Blair waged an extraordinary two-year battle to keep secret a lucrative deal with a multinational oil giant which has extensive interests in Iraq.

It's Now or Never — By: Ed Whelan  —  If you want to make your voice heard on the health-care bill before the House votes on Sunday, you'd better do so quickly.  To make things easier for you, here, organized in alphabetical order by state, are the 40 key Democratic members …

Op-Ed Columnist: Closing Arguments on Health Care  —  One way or another, the fate of health care reform is going to be decided in the next few days.  If House Democratic leaders find 216 votes, reform will almost immediately become the law of the land.  If they don't, reform may well be put off …

Did Dan Choi Jump the Shark, or Has The Gay Community Forgotten What Real Activism Is?  —  When I first heard about Dan Choi being arrested for handcuffing himself to the gates of the White House, my initial reaction was the usual pointless snark that is generally reserved for us writers and bloggers.

Michele Bachmann Means No Disrespect When She Accuses Media Of “Treason”  —  BACHMANN (On Bill Bennett's radio show 3/18/10): Well, I'm amazed that they actually were willing to be shocked.  Because for most of the time they have been, and you know, I don't mean any disrespect, but they've been treason media.

FIRST THOUGHTS: DEMS AND BIG MO  —  After a couple of months of catching very few breaks, Dems have the momentum on health care... But that doesn't mean everything will be smooth sailing between now and Sunday... First Read names names on Dems that still need convincing …

Obama blocks delivery of bunker-busters to Israel  —  WASHINGTON — The United States has diverted a shipment of bunker-busters designated for Israel.  —  Officials said the U.S. military was ordered to divert a shipment of smart bunker-buster bombs from Israel to a military base in Diego Garcia.