My endorsement  —  A few hours from now I will step on stage in Detroit, Michigan to announce my support for Senator Barack Obama.  From now through Election Day, I intend to do whatever I can to make sure he is elected President of the United States.  —  Over the next four years …

Don't call me nigger, Whitey  —  Or, how Sly and the Family Stone have prefigured the tortured logic of mainstream “liberal” American academic/media elite discourse on race.  From the Chicago Tribune: … Beyond the irony of being lectured on what people should or should not take offense …

Second President Bush floats prospect of a third  —  (CNN) - For only the second time in nearly three decades, there won't be a Bush on the presidential ballot this November.  But that absence may not be a permanent one, the current White House occupants hinted Sunday.

What Obama Can Learn from Gates  —  As conditions in Iraq improve, Barack Obama has yet to adjust his proposed strategy for managing conflict in the region.  —  Like Sen. Barack Obama, Defense Secretary Robert Gates strongly doubted the wisdom of invading Iraq.

Lost Army Job Tied to Doubts on Contractor  —  WASHINGTON — The Army official who managed the Pentagon's largest contract in Iraq says he was ousted from his job when he refused to approve paying more than $1 billion in questionable charges to KBR, the Houston-based company that has provided food …

Barack Obama aide: Why Winnie the Pooh should shape US foreign policy  —  Winnie the Pooh, Luke Skywalker and British football hooligans could shape the foreign policy of Barack Obama if he becomes US President, according to a key adviser.  —  Richard Danzig, who served …

Same-sex weddings start with union of elderly San Francisco couple  —  (06-16) 18:33 PDT SAN FRANCISCO — Cheers filled San Francisco's City Hall shortly after 5 p.m. as longtime lesbian activists Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin, partners for more than 50 years, began their second wedding - and their first legal union.

Iraqi violence down; war's root causes unresolved  —  BAGHDAD - Signs are emerging that Iraq has reached a turning point.  Violence is down, armed extremists are in disarray, government confidence is rising and sectarian communities are gearing up for a battle at the polls rather than slaughter in the streets.

Obama Hits at McCain's Appeal to Women  —  Sen. Barack Obama hit back at Sen. John McCain's recent attempts to court women voters who flocked to Sen. Hillary Clinton's failed presidential bid in droves.  —  . “On almost every single issue that's important to women, he's been on the wrong side …

AP Badly Mistaken on Drudge Retort  —  Last week, the Associated Press decided that the Drudge Retort was in violation of copyright laws because it excerpted parts of AP stories and linked to them.  The AP legal team sent a cease-and-desist letter to Drudge Retort's owner, the technology book author Rogers Cadenhead.