Democratic country keeps its distance from Obama  —  Like most people in Mingo County, West Virginia, Leonard Simpson is a lifelong Democrat.  But given a choice between Barack Obama and John McCain in November, the 67-year-old retired coalminer would vote Republican.

This Week: Campaign Surrogate Carly Fiorina Doesn't Believe In Economists  —  First thing, was anyone else get surprised by the uncharacteristically accurate title given to Carly Fiorina in this segment of This Week with George Stephanopoulos?  Normally, aren't these surrogates usually called “advisors”?

Analysis: Could Clinton land the VP nomination?  —  (CNN) — Friends and close associates of both Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are now convinced that, assuming she loses the race for the presidential nomination, she is probably going to fight to be the vice presidential nominee on an Obama-for-president ticket.

Voter ID Battle Shifts to Proof of Citizenship  —  The battle over voting rights will expand this week as lawmakers in Missouri are expected to support a proposed constitutional amendment to enable election officials to require proof of citizenship from anyone registering to vote.

Emanuel to Kennedy: That's Not Nice  —  On a day when it seemed that everybody was beating up on Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton — even “Saturday Night Live” had run a skit making fun of her — one person came to her defense on Sunday: Representative Rahm Emanuel of Illinois, a top Democrat in the House.

Drive in Basra by Iraqi Army Makes Gains  —  BASRA, Iraq — Three hundred miles south of Baghdad, the oil-saturated city of Basra has been transformed by its own surge, now seven weeks old.  —  In a rare success, forces loyal to Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki have largely quieted the city …

Sit Back, Relax, Get Ready to Rumble  —  He's taken everything in stride, it seems.  How Obama and his team will battle the GOP onslaught.  —  How do you know if Barack Obama is unhappy with what you're saying— or not saying?  At meetings of his closest advisers, he likes to lean back, put his feet on the table and close his eyes.

The Pundit Analyzing Obama?  Some TV Upstart Named Rove  —  WASHINGTON — Late Thursday night, Karl Rove, the architect of the last two Republican presidential victories, was on his new television perch at Fox News, offering free advice to Senator Barack Obama as he closed in on the Democratic nomination.

The Race's Real Winner  —  In 1968, Hubert Humphrey won the Democratic nomination for president without entering, let alone winning, a single primary.  This time around, Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton will have entered 16 caucuses and 37 primaries (39 if you include Michigan and Florida) …

Young, evangelical ... for Obama?  —  Michael Dudley is the son of a preacher man.  —  He's a born-again Christian with two family members in the military.  He grew up in the Bible Belt, where almost everyone he knew was Republican.  But this fall, he's breaking a handful of stereotypes: He plans to vote for Democrat Barack Obama.

The Jewish State at 60  —  This week marks the 60th anniversary of the founding of the state of Israel.  There have already been many birthday greetings, some heartfelt, some perfunctory, along with numerous reflections on the meaning of the occasion, some profound, some commonplace.

System of Neglect  —  As Tighter Immigration Policies Strain Federal Agencies, The Detainees in Their Care Often Pay a Heavy Cost  —  Near midnight on a California spring night, armed guards escorted Yusif Osman into an immigration prison ringed by concertina wire at the end of a winding, isolated road.

A Second McCain Aide Resigns  —  Doug Davenport, the regional campaign manager for the mid-Atlantic states, founded the DCI Group's lobbying practice and oversaw the contract with Myanmar in 2002.  —  “Doug has tendered his resignation and we have accepted it,” Jill Hazelbaker, McCain's communications director, wrote in a e-mail.