Gallup Daily: Obama Takes Lead Over McCain, 48% to 42%  —  Has consistently led McCain since Clinton decided to suspend campaign  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Barack Obama is enjoying a modest bump in support following Hillary Clinton's exit from the presidential race.

McCain resurrects call for gas tax holiday  —  From CNN Political Producer Peter Hamby, CNN's Dana Bash  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) - With gas prices reaching a national average of four dollars a gallon — a record high — John McCain is planning to resurrect his call for a national gas tax holiday …

John McCain: Putin Is The President Of Germany  —  You learn new things all the time!  —  (Nobody tell Angela Merkel that Pooty-poot got her job!)

Today's Obama Smear Attempt  —  Here's one of the ways the right's smear machine works.  Far-right blogs post something.  Then a site higher up their food chain picks it up, like NewsMax, CNSNews, WorldNetDaily or Politico.  Then the Drudge Report or Moon's Washington Times gets it from there and spreads the story further.

Obama Says He's Partnering With Elizabeth Edwards On Health Care  —  Obama's speech in Raleigh launching his economy tour is underway, and towards the end, during a discussion of health care, he drops a surprise aside that wasn't in the speech's prepared remarks: … More on this when we can establish the details.

Bush confronted Rove's sins in church  —  Fired and brimestone  —  If you're going to fire someone, you want to make sure you do it in a place where the now-unemployed can't make a scene.  —  You know...a place like, say, a church.  —  That, according to a new book - “Machiavelli's Shadow” …

‘Bush Lied’?  If Only It Were That Simple.  —  Search the Internet for “Bush Lied” products, and you will find sites that offer more than a thousand designs.  The basic “Bush Lied, People Died” bumper sticker is only the beginning.  —  Sen. John D. Rockefeller IV (D-W.Va.) …

The “grumpy Republican” problem; Update: E-mail from a Texas GOP convention attendee  —  Scroll down for updates...e-mail from Texas GOP convention attendee...  The Texas GOP convened its party convention this week.  It's finding the same problem plaguing the party in other states and at the national level: Disgruntled grass-roots.

Citing History, Bush Suggests His Policies Will One Day Be Vindicated  —  Meet George W. Bush, time traveler.  —  He's in Poland in 1939 as Nazi tanks advance on Warsaw, then flying with his Navy-pilot father to battle imperial Japan.  He's alongside Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War …

Senate Votes To Privatize Its Failing Restaurants  —  Year after year, decade upon decade, the U.S. Senate's network of restaurants has lost staggering amounts of money — more than $18 million since 1993, according to one report, and an estimated $2 million this year alone, according to another.

Public Perceptions of Obama and McCain Shifting Rapidly  —  Rasmussen Reports data shows that public perceptions of both Barack Obama and John McCain are shifting rapidly during Election 2008.  That same data suggests perceptions will continue to change through Election Day (see video).

It's a Different Country  —  Fervent supporters of Barack Obama like to say that putting him in the White House would transform America.  With all due respect to the candidate, that gets it backward.  Mr. Obama is an impressive speaker who has run a brilliant campaign — but if he wins in November …

Hillary Clinton paid a heavy price for presidential run  —  Eighteen million votes: $212 million.  Some 1,926 delegates: $109,823 a pop. Blowing the biggest head start in presidential history: priceless.  —  From anointed to also-ran, Hillary Clinton spent more money to lose a primary election …