Obama on Those Who Say He Doesn't Respect the Flag: 'It's a Lie'  —  At a town hall in Kokomo, Ind., Friday a woman told Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., that her mother wasn't going to vote for him because he didn't “address the flag.”  —  “This is a phony issue,” Obama said.  “So let me address it right now.”

Grasping at Straws: The NY Times on McCain  —  This is getting embarrassing.  Remember the front-page story The New York Times ran about John McCain's non-affair with a lobbyist?  That was the long-held piece of non-news that the Times subtly dropped like a barbell at midnight shortly …

Bowling 1, Health Care 0  —  Chapel Hill, N.C.  —  FOR the last month, news media attention was focused on Pennsylvania and its Democratic primary.  Given the gargantuan effort, what did we learn?  —  Well, the rancor of the campaign was covered.  The amount of money spent was covered.

How the South Won (This) Civil War  —  Southernism is taking over our national dialogue.  Maybe it's time for the North to secede from the Union.  —  NEWSWEEK WEB EXCLUSIVE  —  In the summer of 1863, Robert E. Lee led an ill-advised incursion into Pennsylvania.

AL SHARPTON CONVENES ANOTHER LYNCH MOB  —  Al Sharpton is back in the news today with his vow to close New York down to protest the acquittals of three police detectives in the death of Sean Bell.  Sharpton's long career as the race hustling leader of lynch mobs is one of the continuing disgraces of our public life.

Karzai Escapes an Assassination Attempt in Kabul  —  KABUL, Afghanistan - President Hamid Karzai survived an assassination attempt at a military parade in central Kabul on Sunday, when suspected Taliban insurgents fired mortars and bullets at the dignitaries assembled in the spectator stands.

McCain: 'It's very clear who Hamas wants' in the White House  —  (CNN) — John McCain said Friday that “it's clear who Hamas wants to be the next president of the United States” — the second time in as many weeks that his campaign has referenced positive remarks by Ahmed Yousef, a member of that group, about Barack Obama.

Babies seized by Robert Mugabe's forces as Zimbabwe hounds voters  —  Thousands flee crackdown  —  Christina Lamb and John Makura in Harare  —  Scores of children and babies have been locked up in filthy prison cells in Harare as Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwe's president, sinks to new depths …

The nomination battle  —  Arnold Kling summarizes quite succinctly just how much the stars aligned to put Obama in the lead: … Arnold thinks that as soon as the dust has settled, the party will unite behind the nominee.  —  I would guess that this will be less true of a Hillary Clinton nomination than of a Barack Obama nomination.

Desperately Seeking Street Cred  —  Maybe I've been reading too many stories about the fad of teenage vampire chick lit, worlds filled with parasitic aliens and demi-human creatures, but there's something eerie going on in this race.  —  Hillary grows more and more glowy as Obama grows more and more wan.

When the Times Make the Man  —  MUCH has been made of Senator John McCain's advancing years.  He is, as everyone knows, the oldest candidate in the field, and if things go his way in November he will take office at age 72, which will make him older than any other new president in history.

Obama: No More Debates Before Next Primary  —  Barack Obama, in his first appearance on “FOX News Sunday,” says there will be no more debates before the two May 6 primaries despite repeated challenges from Hillary Clinton to meet him face-to-face.  —  Clinton challenged him again Saturday in Indiana …