Democrats Jump Into Six-Point Lead on Generic Ballot  —  At the same time, Republican enthusiasm for voting in November surges  —  PRINCETON, NJ — In the same week the U.S. Senate passed a major financial reform bill touted as reining in Wall Street, Democrats pulled ahead of Republicans …

Racist New Hampshire State House Candidate Advises Tea Party To Be More Open With Its Racism  —  While the tea party movement is desperately trying to fight off charges of “racist elements” from the NAACP, Ryan J. Murdough, a Republican candidate for New Hampshire State House, has no qualms about expressing his views on race.

It was the moment of greatest peril for then-Sen. Barack Obama's political career.  In the heat of the presidential campaign, videos surfaced of Obama's pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, angrily denouncing whites, the U.S. government and America itself.  Obama had once bragged of his closeness to Wright.

Times loses almost 90% of online readership  —  Less than three weeks after the Times paywall went up, data shows a massive decline in web traffic  —  The registration page for thetimes.co.uk - 25.6% of users sign up and proceed to the Times site  —  The Times has lost almost 90% …

Video Shows USDA Official Saying She Didn't Give ‘Full Force’ of Help to White Farmer  —  Shown here is USDA Georgia official Shirley Sherrod.  (YouTube)  —  Days after the NAACP clashed with Tea Party members over allegations of racism, a video has surfaced showing an Agriculture Department …

Republican immigration position likely to alienate Latinos, Obama officials say  —  President Obama and his political aides privately acknowledge that the government's decision to sue Arizona over its new immigration law is helping to fuel an anti-immigration fervor that could benefit some Republicans in elections this fall.

Is Palin Lucky, Good, or ...  When she writes on her palm and uses words like refudiate, Sarah Palin is lucky.  That is, all her success, all the adulation, her approval rating with Republican voters — all of these pieces of evidence suggest that she needs more seasoning and is resonating …

Crist Uses His Old Party as a New Foil  —  Senate Push Gains as Florida Governor Sets Himself Off Against State's GOP, With Some Firepower From Obama Camp  —  Gov. Crist has shored up some conservative positions, such as his support for gun rights, while shifting to the left on core issues like abortion, education and gay rights.

Obama Sends Berwick Nomination to the Senate  —  President Barack Obama “sent the Senate his nomination of Donald Berwick as administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on Monday — a move that comes two weeks after Obama bypassed Congress to put his stalled nominee …

Spy Swap  —  The latest in a long line.  —  With the just completed exchange of spies between the United States and Russia, the media storm will undoubtedly soon disappear.  Amid all the accounts of such arcana as steganography, brush passes, and dead drops, the fascination with Internet photos …

Petraeus's Successor Is Known for Impolitic Words  —  WASHINGTON — To those who have served under him, Gen. James N. Mattis is the consummate Marine commander, a warrior who chooses to lead from the front lines and speaks bluntly rather than concerning himself with political correctness.

Back From A Breather II  —  I love Dave Weigel and enjoyed all his posts in my absence and was delighted he took on the Trig question.  The aim of the Dish has been to air this debate on all sides in order to get as close as we can to the readily available evidence Sarah Palin insists on keeping from us.

Where next for special relationship?  —  The timing of British Prime Minister David Cameron's visit to Washington looks fortuitous.  British Petroleum's stress-tests on the new oil well cap seemed to be proving successful over the weekend.  The oil streaming into the Gulf of Mexico had, at least for the time being, been stemmed.

Schumer bets on Rangel  —  Sen. Charles Schumer (D), the de facto leader of New York's Democratic Party, is throwing his support behind embattled Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.).  —  Schumer, whose recent success at picking winners among Democrats is well established, made a $10,000 contribution …

Unemployment Extension: The GOP's Nearly Unprecedented Deficit Demands  —  WHAT'S YOUR REACTION?  —  Republicans say the federal deficit can't bear the $33 billion cost of reauthorizing unemployment benefits, so the spending should be offset with cuts from another part of the budget.

Nevada Senate Poll Preview  —  We're going to have Nevada Senate numbers tomorrow.  What I found most amazing in comparing where Harry Reid is now and when we last polled in January and found him down 51-41 to Sue Lowden is the numbers among moderates:  —  Sharron Angle is getting 9% …