McCain Camp Pounces on Obama Comments From ABC News Interview  —  The campaign of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., tonight pounced on comments Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., made in an interview today with ABC News.  —  This was the exchange in question.  —  TAPPER: Speaking of the Supreme Court …

Pin at the GOP state convention in Texas: “If Obama is President... will we still call it the White House?”  —  Expect the Republican party to do absolutely nothing about the racists in its own midst.  The national Republican party in Washington has contacts all the time with its state parties.

67% Support Offshore Drilling, 64% Expect it Will Lower Prices  —  Most voters favor the resumption of offshore drilling in the United States and expect it to lower prices at the pump, even as John McCain has announced his support for states that want to explore for oil and gas off their coasts.

Haditha Watch: Charges dismissed against Lt. Col. Chessani  —  Fight the smears.  Call John “Cold-blooded” Murtha for comment: 202-225-2065.  —  Note: As of 1:40pm Eastern, you will not find the Haditha story on the front page of the NYTimes website.  —  Told you to watch out for this yesterday.

Put Your Right Wing In, Take Your Left Wing Out  —  If John McCain keeps dancing like this, he's liable to break a hip.  —  Last month, he shimmied to the left on energy policy, infuriating conservatives with a plan to cap carbon emissions.  Yesterday, he shuffled back to the right …

Targeting Steny Hoyer for his contempt for the rule of law  —  (updated below)  —  It is now definitively clear that House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer is the driving force behind a bill — written by GOP Sen. Kit Bond — to vest the President with vast new warrantless eavesdropping powers and to vest lawbreaking telecoms with amnesty.

N.C. Poll: McCain Leads Obama 45-41  —  Both Candidates Improve Standing with Base  —  Raleigh, NC - After solidifying the Democratic nomination for President, Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) has pulled to within four points of Republican nominee Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) in North Carolina according …

Leader of the Pack  —  AS the Democratic primaries revealed, Barack Obama is having a hard time winning the support of blue-collar voters.  —  So here's a piece of strategic advice for the candidate: Lose the Nicorette.  Light up instead.  —  Consider these statistics, culled from studies of smoking patterns.

Fifth severed foot found on Canadian coast  —  (CNN) — A severed human foot was found washed up on an island on the western coast of Canada this week, the fifth detached foot found in the area in the past 11 months, according to local police and media reports.

In China, Fascination With Obama's Skin Color  —  America may be discussing whether Barack Obama is tough enough to field a 3 a.m. phone call, but for the Chinese Communist Party's official newspaper, the real issue is his race.  —  “Obama's skin color is the biggest focal point of this year's U.S. election …

The Canonization of Saint Russert … BACK TO TOP  —  PRINT DISCUSS E-MAIL

FIRST THOUGHTS: GORE-ACLE FINALLY SPEAKS  —  From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, and Domenico Montanaro  —  *** The Gore-acle finally speaketh: For months, the question wasn't if Al Gore was going to endorse Obama, but when.  And would he do it at a time that was pivotal in the primary?

AP sets up a toll booth for bloggers citing its stories  —  The AP's disharmony with bloggers may have only just begun, as the alternative it's now offering to being served with takedown notices involves paying an up-front sum for excerpting online articles — as few as five words.