Obama: Beware 'you're on your own' society  —  GREENSBORO, N.C. — Presidential candidate Barack Obama, largely ignoring his Democratic rival for now, ridiculed likely Republican nominee John McCain on Wednesday for offering “not one single idea” to help hard-pressed homeowners facing foreclosure.

Iraq implodes as Shia fights Shia  —  Another tragedy as the Shia majority turn on each other  —  A new civil war is threatening to explode in Iraq as American-backed Iraqi government forces fight Shia militiamen for control of Basra and parts of Baghdad.  —  Heavy fighting engulfed Iraq's …

AND THERE HE HO'S AGAIN  —  ‘WICKED’ SPITZER LINKED TO BUSTY BUSTED MADAM'S BIZ  —  Disgraced former Gov. Eliot Spitzer has been identified as a long-standing client of a second high-priced call-girl ring, The Post has learned.  —  The ex-governor regularly patronized Wicked Models …

FIRST THOUGHTS: MYTH BUSTER  —  From Chuck Todd and Domenico Montanaro  —  *** Myth buster: Pollster Peter Hart calls the NBC/WSJ poll a “myth buster” survey; it really breaks down a lot of the myths we've been hearing over the last week like: (1) that the Wright controversy was the beginning …

No death for Mumia Abu-Jamal — at least for now  —  A federal appeals court today refused to reinstate the death sentence of world-famous death row inmate Mumia Abu-Jamal, but left intact his murder conviction in the 1981 shooting death of Philadelphia Police Officer Daniel Faulkner.

Supplier Under Scrutiny on Aging Arms for Afghans  —  Since 2006, when the insurgency in Afghanistan sharply intensified, the Afghan government has been dependent on American logistics and military support in the war against Al Qaeda and the Taliban.  —  But to arm the Afghan forces …

Obama: Bloomberg Is “Extraordinary”  —  Here's the first paragraph from Barack Obama's speech this a.m. in New York: … The First Read gang is all a-buzz at the Obama-Needs-A-Jew-On-The-Ticket- Angle, but I think the best way to look at an Obama-Bloomberg ticket is by noticing their complimentary traits.

PR governor, four Philadelphians charged  —  Puerto Rico's governor and four Philadelphians, including prominent fund-raiser Robert M. Feldman, were charged this morning in San Juan with federal campaign-finance related crimes.  —  The investigation of Gov. Anibal Acevedo-Vila …

Obama on ‘Renewing the American Economy’  —  Following is the transcript of Barack Obama's economic speech at Cooper Union in New York, as provided by CQ Transcriptions Inc.  —  Thank you so much for being here.  —  Let me begin by thanking Dr. Drucker and Cooper Union for hosting us here today.

Silly Season  —  Unlike Barack Obama, Bill Clinton does not believe in “the fierce urgency of now.”  The former President has an exquisitely languid sense of how political time unfurls.  He understands that those moments the political community, especially the media, considers urgent usually aren't.

Equity Loans as Next Round in Credit Crisis  —  Little by little, millions of Americans surrendered equity in their homes in recent years.  Lulled by good times, they borrowed — sometimes heavily — against the roofs over their heads.  —  Now the bill is coming due.

Polls Show Obama Damaged by Reverend Wright  —  Has Barack Obama been hurt by his association, now revealed to most American voters, with the Rev. Jeremiah Wright?  Has the pope been hurt by his association, among people who don't like Catholics, with the Roman Catholic Church?

Bob Barr thinking ‘very serious’ thoughts about a presidential race, Iraq, and torture  —  On an Internet site called Anti-War Radio, former Georgia congressman Bob Barr confirmed on Wednesday that he's “very seriously” looking at joining the race for the White House as a Libertarian …