Some Buy a New Home to Bail on the Old  —  Fannie Plans Rules To Avoid Practice Described as Fraud  —  Next month, Michelle Augustine plans to walk away from her four-bedroom house in a Sacramento, Calif., subdivision and let the property fall into foreclosure.

Those Loyal to the Clintons Take Note of Who Was Not  —  WASHINGTON — Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton was gracious in her full-throated endorsement of Senator Barack Obama.  But that does not mean all is forgiven by others in the Clinton universe.  —  For proof, look no further than Doug Band …

Dems pound McCain for new Iraq quote  —  The Obama campaign and Democratic leaders accused Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) of being confused and heartless after he told NBC's “Today” show Wednesday that it's “not too important” when U.S. troops return from Iraq.  —  Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) …

Obama Gains Among Women After Clinton Exit  —  Now running as strongly vs. McCain among women as Clinton did  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Since Hillary Clinton decided to concede the Democratic nomination to Barack Obama last week, Obama has established a lead over Republican John McCain in general-election polling.

Mincing Up Michelle  —  Hillary and Bill are busy updating their enemies lists.  And Obama is racking his brain trying to figure out where to stash his erstwhile rival.  —  If a President Obama put her on the Supreme Court, of course, we would have the infinite fun of hearing Bill rant about how Scalia …

JOHN MCCAIN: I AM VIRAL VIDEO!  —  McCain: Bringing Troops Home from Iraq “Not Too Important” ...  Get a good look.  Within a day or so he won't have said it.

Obama's best veep choice  —  Here's a hint: She's not Hillary!  Plus: Talk radio's paranoid delusions and a Brazilian diva Madonna could aspire to.  —  Shuddering, lurching and stumbling, the 2008 general election has finally, mercifully begun.  For a year and a half …

McCain On Whether Cheney Might Serve In His Administration: ‘Hell, Yeah’  —  As Vice President Dick Cheney makes the rounds on “the GOP's rubber chicken circuit” these days to raise funds for conservative candidates, he always implores his audiences “to make sure that we elect John McCain the 44th President of the United States.”

High Comedy at the McCain Golf Store  —  Via the comments section in another post, when you buy your McCain '08 Golf gear, you are asked to post a helpful review:  —  Some helpful customers decided to take him up on the offer, and hilarity breaks out all over:

President George Bush starts talking language of a dove  —  Hurtling at more than 500 miles per hour across the Atlantic, President Bush is in a hurry to demonstrate that he still matters.  The clock is ticking down on a turbulent presidency whose passing will be unmourned, even celebrated …

Kucinich Forces Vote On Bush's Impeachment  —  Having failed in efforts to impeach Vice President Cheney, Rep. Dennis J. Kucinich (D-Ohio) escalated his battle against the administration this week by introducing 35 articles of impeachment against President Bush, using a parliamentary maneuver that will probably force a vote today.

Obama Admits Smoking Cigarettes in Last Few Months  —  ABC News' Sunlen Miller Reports: Senator Barack Obama told reporters in St. Louis today that he has fallen off the wagon and smoked cigarettes in the last few months.  —  Watch the VIDEO HERE.  —  The presumptive Democratic nominee …

Not Our Best and Brightest?  —  The missteps in Iraq are well documented by now.  —  Library shelves could be lined with books that criticize the poorly constructed endgame, the insufficient troop levels and the disbanding of the Iraqi military.  There have, however, been glimmers of promise that have gotten a share of ink as well.