Dems Doubling for Dean

And now the most compelling two minutes in television, the latest from the political grapevine:

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Dems Doubling for Dean

A new poll out today shows that democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean (search) has more than doubled his support among California democrats in the past three months, and is now the front-runner in that state, which has the largest single batch of delegates of any state. In addition, the Field Poll shows support for Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass (search)., who now slightly trails Dean, has remained about the same. Sen. Joe Lieberman, D-Conn (search)., and Rep. Dick Gephardt, D-Mo. (search), both staunch supporters of the Iraq war, have both lost more than a third of their support, going from 22 percent to 14 percent, and from 12 percent to 7 percent, respectively.

Angry Ambassador

Saddam Hussein's ambassador to China has holed himself and his family up in the Iraqi Embassy in Beijing, refusing to come out and threatening to shoot anyone who tries to come in. Ambassador Mowaffaq Mahmoud Alani (search) says he does not recognize U.S. authorities in Iraq and will not obey their orders to return to Iraq. So he and his wife, armed with pistols, remain barricaded in the embassy, saying they'll even shoot other Iraqi diplomats, one of whom told the Washington Post that Alani is, "very fond of gangster films, and his favorite is 'Bonnie and Clyde.' ... He sees himself as Clyde and his wife as Bonnie. ... He's a dreamer."

Mark a Minn.-imalist?

Minnesota Democratic Senator and department store heir Mark Dayton, who has a $1.7 million townhouse in Washington, D.C., apparently had no home in Minnesota at all at the time of last fall's election. Republicans are claiming Dayton committed election fraud because he did not vote under special procedures required for the homeless. Dayton's office, however, calls the complaint, "absolutely, positively ridiculous. ... He was advised that he was within his right to vote." Dayton does have an apartment in Minneapolis for which he signed a lease the day after the November election.

Karin' Enough to Change Her Name

Karin Robertson, a 23-year-old employee with the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals in Norfolk, Virginia, has now legally changed her name to goveg.com... but her parents, family and coworkers call her "go-veg" for short. Goveg.com, now named after a PETA web site on vegetarianism and animal cruelty, says she is "just trying to get the word out," and she can't imagine a better name.

— FOX News' Michael Levine contributed to this report