McCain erases Obama lead  —  WASHINGTON - Republican Sen. John McCain has erased Sen. Barack Obama's 10-point advantage in a head-to-head matchup, leaving him essentially tied with both Democratic candidates in an Associated Press-Ipsos national poll released Thursday.

SHOCKING— New Obama Audio Posted Online!  —  This is just amazing.  —  If Obama really wanted to have a talk about race he could start by explaining his hateful words on this audio.  —  (9 minutes 53 seconds)  —  Just words?  —  Bob McCarty also finds it shocking.

Is that really a naked woman in Dick Cheney's sunglasses?  —  WASHINGTON — He shot his hunting partner, but Vice President Dick Cheney apparently doesn't fly fish with naked women.  —  Since Wednesday, the blogosphere has been atwitter over a photograph on the White House Web site of Cheney …

Obama: Elie Weisel is a piker  —  Someone at the Barack Obama campaign had better start watching the hyperbole meter when Obama gets off script.  When a questioner at a Levittown event asked Obama about his church's fascination with Louis Farrakhan, Obama offered a very strange defense.

Obama: I'm not ‘getting fresh or anything’  —  (CNN) - Barack Obama appeared to have a bit of an awkward moment on the campaign trail in South Bend, Indiana.  —  From the pool report:  —  “[Obama] posed for report pictures with the staff when he apparently felt his phone start to vibrate …

Lieberman, Bennett, And Kristol See Petraeus Hearing As ‘An Argument’ For ‘Going Into Iran’  —  During their appearance before the Senate on Tuesday, Gen. David Petraeus and Amb.  Ryan Crocker accused Iran of “funding, training, arming and directing extremist ‘special groups’ in Iraq.”

Bill Clinton Retells Hillary's 1996 Bosnia Story  —  ABC News' Sarah Amos and Eloise Harper Report: After a trip to Puerto Rico and two days entirely off the campaign trail, former President Bill Clinton eagerly discussed myriad topics with the crowd that awaited him in Boonville, Ind. …

Bush's Stubborn Strategy  —  Following two days of testimony to Congress by his top soldier and his top diplomat in Iraq, President Bush announced today that he would accept their recommendations and keep 140,000 American troops in Iraq for the foreseeable future.  Or at least until Jan. 20, 2009, when he leaves the White House.

29% Favor National Health Insurance Overseen by Federal Government  —  Twenty-nine percent (29%) of American adults favor a national health insurance program overseen by the Federal Government.  A Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that 39% oppose such a government-led initiative while 31% are not sure.

Carter and Hamas  —  It's an opportunity for Obama to draw a line, and he takes it:

Randi Rhodes Quits Air America Rather Than Apologize For Hillary Clinton “F*cking Whore” Remark; “There's Relief And Joy” At The Station  —  Update: The Huffington Post has learned that Randi Rhodes quit Air America after being asked by the network to apologize for her inflammatory remarks against Hillary Clinton and Geraldine Ferraro.

IRAN'S BUSTED IRAQ BID  —  BASRA ‘RISING’ WAS TEHRAN'S OP  —  A GAMBLE that proved too costly.  —  That's how analysts in Tehran describe events last month in Basra.  Iran's state-run media have de facto confirmed that this was no spontaneous “uprising.”

As Election Race Shifts, so do Women's Opinions of the Candidates, With Perception of Hillary Clinton Changing the Most  —  New Lifetime Networks' Every Woman Counts poll takes women's political pulse.  —  Sign In or Register to Assign a Topic  —  New York — As part of its Every Woman Counts campaign …

McCain Gets the Boot From Project Vote Smart  —  Project Vote Smart, the nonpartisan voter-education nonprofit, confirms today that it has kicked John McCain off its board.  Mother Jones reported on Monday that PVS was prepared to make the move due to McCain's nine-month refusal to fill out its Political Courage Test.

America needs a 12-step program  —  Editor's note: “Glenn Beck” is on Headline News nightly at 7 and 9 ET.  —  NEW YORK (CNN) — My name is Glenn Beck, and I am a recovering alcoholic.  —  It took me a lot of years and a lot of pain to be able to say those words and really believe them.

Killing in the Name of Safety?  —  With the FAA grounding flights in the name of safety, few people seem to have appreciated that the action may well kill people.  —  Bear with me.  Not all those whose flights have been canceled will cancel their trips.  Some will find slots on other airlines …