‘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 …

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.

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.

McCain and Obama Decline Invitation to New York Forum  —  WASHINGTON — The presidential campaigns of Senators Barack Obama and John McCain on Sunday rejected an invitation for a town-hall-style meeting in Manhattan that had been proposed by ABC News and Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg of New York.

Parents of ill vegan girl may face police  —  A 12-YEAR-OLD girl in Scotland brought up by her parents on a strict vegan diet has been admitted to hospital with a degenerative bone condition said to have left her with the spine of an 80-year-old woman.  —  Doctors are under pressure to report …

Clinton's Loss Driven by Strategy, Not Sexism: Albert R. Hunt  —  Last weekend, in a family outing, we went to see the new movie, “Sex in the City.”  As I cringed over what seemed a celebration of banal excess, my 19-year-old daughter was beaming, loving it.

Poll: Begich has edge on Stevens  —  WASHINGTON — A recent poll shows Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich leading incumbent Ted Stevens in the U.S. Senate race.  —  The survey found 51 percent of those responding would vote for Begich in November's general election, compared to 44 percent who said they would back Stevens.

R.I. Democrats endorse Obama  —  WEST WARWICK — Rhode Island Democrats have long been known for contentious primaries and in-your-face fractiousness, but 2008 is shaping up as a year of unity as Democratic leaders and elected officials have move quickly to heal any wounds left …

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.

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 …

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 …

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 …