George Bush's latest powers, courtesy of the Democratic Congress  —  CQ reports (sub. req.) that “a final deal has been reached” on FISA and telecom amnesty and “the House is likely to take up the legislation Friday.”  I've now just read a copy of the final “compromise” bill.  It's even worse than expected.

Obama to Break Promise, Opt Out of Public Financing for General Election  —  In a web video to supporters — “the people who built this movement from the bottom up” — Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, announced this morning that he will not enter into the public financing system, despite a previous pledge to do so.

My Mom's White!  And I'm From America!  —  I feel like Barack Obama's new general election ad is a bit unsubtle.  —  The campaign says they're running it on a very aggressive 18 state play that includes Alaska, Georgia, Indiana, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, and Virginia.

Oil uh oh  —  When I first heard McCain come out for drilling offshore for Oil, I knew something must have shifted in public opinion over the matter, especially when FL Gov Crist came out for it: … Rasmussen has more on the polling, in FL, in OH, and nationally.

In with the Old  —  Barack Obama has never been shy about comparing himself to Abraham Lincoln.  He did so when he announced his candidacy at the Illinois state capitol, where both he and Lincoln served in the legislature.  “The life of a tall, gangly, self-made Springfield lawyer tells us …

I Will Deliver Justice  —  Senator Obama is obviously confused about what the United States Supreme Court decided and what he is calling for.  After enthusiastically embracing the Supreme Court decision granting habeas in U.S. civilian courts to dangerous terrorist detainees …

More Than 400 Defendants Charged for Roles in Mortgage Fraud Schemes as Part of Operation “Malicious Mortgage”  —  Two Senior Managers of Failed Bear Stearns Hedge Funds Indicted Today in Separate Mortgage-Related Securities Fraud Case  —  WASHINGTON - The Department of Justice and Federal Bureau …

Obama apologizes to Muslim women; apology accepted  —  Sen. Barack Obama today called the two Muslim women who were barred from sitting behind him at his Detroit rally to apologize, one of the women and two other sources said.  —  “Sen. Obama called himself and he apologized to each of us …

It's a delicate dance, and John McCain is ‘liable to break a hip’  —  Long-time readers know that I've been emphasizing John McCain's dozens of major policy flip-flops for months now, hoping that this would a) catch on as a campaign issue; and b) undermine McCain's unearned reputation for principled stands on the issues.

Iowa Flooding Could Be An Act of Man, Experts Say  —  As the Cedar River rose higher and higher, and as he stacked sandbags along the levee protecting downtown Cedar Falls, Kamyar Enshayan, a college professor and City Council member, kept asking himself the same question: “What is going on?”

Pregnancy Boom at Gloucester High  —  As summer vacation begins, 17 girls at Gloucester High School are expecting babies—more than four times the number of pregnancies the 1,200-student school had last year.  Some adults dismissed the statistic as a blip.  Others blamed hit movies like Juno …

Brian Williams is temp replacement for Russert on ‘Meet the Press’ on Sunday  —  NEW YORK — NBC executives decided today that “NBC Nightly News” anchor Brian Williams will host “Meet the Press” this Sunday as the network ponders a permanent replacement for moderator Tim Russert.

FOX News Poll: Americans Proud to Have Obama, McCain as President  —  Whether John McCain or Barack Obama wins in November, a majority of Americans say they will be proud of the new president, according to a FOX News poll released Thursday.  —  About two-thirds would be at least somewhat proud …

Travel Advisory  —  The U.S. isn't likely to try Bush administration officials for war crimes—but it's likely that a European country will.  —  Tuesday's Senate Armed Services Committee hearing provided the latest evidence that top Bush administration officials directed the use of torture techniques on detained suspected terrorists.