The State of the Race  —  Less than six months ago, we began this campaign with a mission.  —  Barack and all of us were determined to defeat the politics of cynicism and division that is so pervasive in Washington today and replace it with a politics of unity, hope and common purpose.

UK Failed Terrorist Wannabes Update  —  This morning, it's possible to begin putting the story of the last couple of days failed attempts at terror attacks together.  For one thing, it looks like the Glasgow airport vehicle was packed with petrol and propane, exactly as the London cars were.

Lieberman Uses Foiled British Terror Plot To Push For Greater U.S. Domestic Spying  —  Appearing on ABC's This Week, Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-CT) used the foiled terror attempts in London to call for greater domestic spying here in the United States.  Lieberman said, "I hope these terrorist attacks …

Bless the Beasts and Children  —  Where did they go?  —  On 29 June, American and Iraqi soldiers were again fighting side-by-side as soldiers from Charley Company 1-12 CAV, led by Captain Clayton Combs, and Iraqi soldiers from the 5th IA, closed in on a village on the outskirts of Baqubah.

'Meet the Press' transcript for July 1, 2007  —  Sen. Patrick Leahy, David Brody, Tavis Smiley, Chuck Todd & Judy Woodruff  —  MR. TIM RUSSERT: Our issues this Sunday: the Bush White House refuses to answer congressional subpoenas about Attorney General Alberto Gonzales' stewardship …

Franchise operation  —  Tim Blair provides a fine example of why The New York Times is an unreliable guide to the ways of the world: … My dictionary defines "disenfranchised" as: … The "South Asian population" are British subjects with as much right to vote as Tony Blair or Gordon Brown.

Voters don't like Legislature - but favor big decisions  —  HELENA - Montana voters flunked the 2007 Legislature on job performance, a Gazette State Poll shows - but, oddly enough, they strongly supported some of the session's major decisions.  —  The poll found that 67 percent of voters slapped …

Why Winston Wouldn't Stand For W  —  George W. Bush always wanted to be like a wartime British prime ministers.  He is.  But it's not the one he had in mind.  —  President Bush's favorite role model is, famously, Jesus, but Winston Churchill is close behind.

A Fire We Can't Run From  —  "Sometimes you just have to let a fire burn."  George Shultz, a former secretary of state who was trained as an industrial economist, is said to have made that remark about labor negotiations that have reached an impasse.  There is a growing sense among Americans that we must apply this precept to Iraq.

A Political Force With Many Philosophies  —  Survey of Independents, Who Could Be Key in 2008, Finds Attitudes From Partisan to Apathetic  —  Fred Wood, a Marietta, Ohio, retiree, voted for George W. Bush in 2000 and John F. Kerry in 2004.  In last year's midterm elections, he voted Republican for Senate and Democratic for governor.

Floods are judgment on society, say bishops  —  The floods that have devastated swathes of the country are God's judgment on the immorality and greed of modern society, according to senior Church of England bishops.  —  One diocesan bishop has even claimed that laws that have undermined marriage …

Impudent citizens got Sen. Lotthorn's goat  —  On the eve of Independence Day, the people of this great republic declared their independence from the United States Senate under the stirring battle-cry, "No legislation without explanation!"  The geniuses who'd cooked up the "comprehensive" …

Zimbabwe's top cleric urges Britain to invade  —  ZIMBABWE'S leading cleric has called on Britain to invade the country and topple President Robert Mugabe.  Pius Ncube, the Archbishop of Bulawayo, warned that millions were facing death from famine, unable to survive amid inflation believed to have soared to 15,000%.

Was campaigning against voter fraud a Republican ploy?  —  WASHINGTON - A New Mexico lawyer who pressed to oust U.S. Attorney David Iglesias was an officer of a nonprofit group that aided Republican candidates in 2006 by pressing for tougher voter identification laws.

Civilian deaths decreasing  —  BAGHDAD — Iraqi civilian deaths in Baghdad dropped significantly in June, a possible indication that recent American military operations around the country and raids on car-bomb shops in the "belts" ringing the capital are starting to pay off.