Foster takes seat from GOP  —  Democrat to succeed Hastert in Republican stronghold  —  In a stunning upset Saturday that could be a sign of trouble for Republicans this fall, a little-known Democratic physicist won the special election for a far west suburban congressional seat long held by former GOP House Speaker Dennis Hastert.

Tucker Canceled; Other Programming Changes Ahead  —  Insiders tell TVNewser Tucker Carlson's 6pmET show Tucker is getting the axe, but Carlson stays on as a political contributor to all MSNBC shows at least through the 2008 election.  The official announcement, expected tomorrow …

From the Right, He Looks Too Blue  —  Think real conservatives will vote for John McCain?  Don't count on it.  —  The conservative talk-show community?  Don't mind them — they're irrelevant.  —  This message from John McCain surrogates and other members of the political class is filling the airwaves and op-ed pages.

March 9: Ed Rendell, Tom Daschle, political roundtable  —  MR. TIM RUSSERT: Our issues this Sunday: Last night Barack Obama bounces back and wins the Wyoming caucuses after Hillary Clinton's big victories Tuesday in Ohio and Texas.  What now?  For the Obama campaign, the former Senate majority leader, Tom Daschle of South Dakota.

Ten worst countries for women  —  In spite of real progress around the globe, the bedrock problems that have dogged women for centuries remain  —  The image of the 21st century woman is confident, prosperous, glowing with health and beauty.  —  But for many of the 3.3 billion female occupants …

The Monster Mash  —  I was covered in barbecue sauce, somewhere over Texas, when Barack Obama loped down the aisle of the plane to chat with reporters.  —  I felt guilty, because I had been covering his speeches urging parents to make their kids give up chips and Popeyes.

Obama and the Pet Rock  —  In fall 1975 I remember sitting in the Stanford student lounge watching two apparently educated and bright students compare their pet rocks, as the craze spread all over Silicon Valley and then went national.  By summer few would admit they had purchased one.

A Preview?  —  The beginning of a potential fall race:

PRIMARY COLLARS....UPDATED....A couple of days ago I wondered aloud if we should really be worried about the attacks that Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are leveling at each other right now.  Is John McCain really likely to use these attacks in TV ads during the general election?

‘A Common Experience’  —  In an interview with NEWSWEEK, the senator explains why, no matter the end result, the race is ‘win-win.’  —  Jonathan Torgovnik / Getty Images for Newsweek  —  ‘Extraordinary Movement’: Clinton bonds with supporters … An upbeat Hillary Clinton …

Ex-Defense Official Assails Colleagues Over Run-Up to War  —  In the first insider account of Pentagon decision-making on Iraq, one of the key architects of the war blasts former secretary of state Colin Powell, the CIA, retired Gen. Tommy R. Franks and former Iraq occupation chief L. Paul Bremer …

Right at home  —  Michelle Malkin may seem like any mild-mannered blogger in her Baltimore-area home, but she's reviled by liberals like almost no one else online  —  Michelle Malkin has worked for Fox News for eight years and has two popular blogs that get 15.1 million page views per month.

Clearly Not Any Other Year  —  Tony Campbell is a unique character attached to a stranger-than-fiction cause.  —  A Republican, he worked in the early 90's for two Democratic members of Congress from Pennsylvania: Ron Klink (who's no longer in office) and Mike Doyle.

Hillary and the Invisible Women  —  Up Against the Wall: Clinton is at her best when things look grim, as they did before the Texas vote, when her traveling press corps was stashed in a men's room … Hillary Clinton's run-up to the Texas and Ohio primaries was the political equivalent of Hell Week for a Navy SEAL.