EDWARDS AD AIMED AT CONGRESS

John Edwards today took out a full-page in Roll Call, a newspaper for inside-the-Beltway types, urging Congress to block the president's so-called "surge" of troops in Iraq.

The New York Times' Web site quoted from the ad, with Edwards urging Congress to step up.

“Members of Congress: You have the power to block this escalation,” the advertisement said. “Use it.” --John Edwards in Roll Call ad.

Edwards, by the way, will try his hand at online chatting tonight.

IF HITS = VOTES, OBAMA RULES

Another insider newspaper, The Hill, had a story about use of the Senate Web site and what it might (probably doesn't) say about the upcoming presidential elections.

The Hill reports that 12% of those who visit the www.senate.gov Web site go to Obama's page on the site. Hillary Clinton's site is the second-busiest, with 7% of the hits. Clinton's numbers got a boost from 4% since she announced her presidential intentions. John McCain is at 2%, and the number of hits on his site has dimished as his popularity as a presidential candidate wanes a bit.