‘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.) …

GOP Insiders Worry About McCain's Chances  —  For four months John McCain had a clear field while Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton were at each other's throats.  Given the opportunity, the Arizona Senator failed to define the debate in favorable terms, spending much of the valuable primary …

John McCain's Ohio disconnect  —  Republican Party machinery in the state helped get President Bush into office, but it's not firing yet on McCain's behalf.  —  CINCINNATI — As the architect of Ohio's ballot measure against gay marriage, Phil Burress helped draw thousands of conservative voters …

Judge's ban on the use of the word ‘rape’ at trial reflects trend  —  It's the only way Tory Bowen knows to honestly describe what happened to her.  —  She was raped.  —  But a judge prohibited her from uttering the word “rape” in front of a jury.  The term “sexual assault” also was taboo …

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 …

Amateur Campaign Blogger Scoops the Pros  —  Mayhill Fowler says she never planned to ask Bill Clinton the question that unleashed a decidedly unpresidential tirade.  —  But in the crush of the crowd in South Dakota last Monday, when she raised the topic of “that hatchet job” on him in Vanity Fair …

Speaking of candidate sites...  Aravosis finds, on McCain's site, some anti-Semitism as well, along with a long discussion of whether Obama is the anti-Christ, put to rest by the reminder that he can't be, because the anti-Christ will be a Jew.  —  Also, some slurs that don't bear reprinting.

White Male Pundit Power  —  It's still all about the white men.  Hillary Clinton's loss has renewed critiques that American political media is slanted, sexist and dominated by men.  While Clinton and Obama broke barriers in the Democratic primary, swiftly dispatching white male Senators …

A Campaign We Can Believe In?  —  Hillary Clinton's concession speech Saturday was the story of the weekend.  But the dueling speeches by John McCain and Barack Obama on Tuesday night, after the last primaries, are what voters — and campaign operatives — should be revisiting.

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 …

Mr. Right?  —  The rise of the Obamacons.  —  The New Yorker is hardly the optimal vehicle for reaching the conservative intelligentsia.  But, last year, Barack Obama cooperated with a profile for that magazine where he seemed to be speaking directly to the right.

His Jewish ‘Problem’: A Myth?  —  Charles Ommanney / Getty Images for Newsweek  —  The candidate sought to reassure the crowd at AIPAC last week  —  Barack Obama received a standing ovation when he proclaimed his unwavering support for Israel to the influential lobbying group AIPAC last week.

Rural U.S. Takes Worst Hit as Gas Tops $4 Average  —  TCHULA, Miss. — Gasoline prices reached a national average of $4 a gallon for the first time over the weekend, adding more strain to motorists across the country.  —  But the pain is not being felt uniformly.

Top Talent Scout for Obama Tied to Subprime Lender  —  Could Become a Political Liability  —  Long-standing ties between a member of Senator Obama's new vice presidential search team and a prominent mortgage executive the senator has pilloried could become a political liability that hampers …

McCain's Evangelical Problem  —  WASHINGTON, D.C. — Shortcomings by John McCain's campaign in the art of politics are alienating two organizations of Christian conservatives.  James Dobson's Focus on the Family is estranged following the failure of Dobson and McCain to talk out their differences.

President Bush Departs for Europe  —  THE PRESIDENT: Good morning.  I'm just about to leave for Europe.  I'm looking forward to my trip.  I'm looking forward to meeting with our friends and allies.  We've got strong relations in Europe, and this trip will help solidify those relations.