MCCAIN BREAKING THE LAW IN PLAIN SIGHT  —  I mentioned earlier today that it was quite a thing to see John McCain denouncing Barack Obama for breaking his word on public financing when McCain himself is at this moment breaking the law in continuing to spend over the spending limits he promised …

The Two Obamas  —  God, Republicans are saps.  They think that they're running against some academic liberal who wouldn't wear flag pins on his lapel, whose wife isn't proud of America and who went to some liberationist church where the pastor damned his own country.

Obama Asks NBC to Draw Up Olympics Ad Packages  —  But Could Such a Media Buy Be Too Much, Too Soon?  —  WASHINGTON (AdAge.com) — Those tuning in to NBC Sports' Olympics coverage this year will see spots from General Motors, McDonald's, Budweiser, Nike and — just maybe — Sen. Barack Obama.

U.S. Says Exercise by Israel Seemed Directed at Iran  —  WASHINGTON — Israel carried out a major military exercise earlier this month that American officials say appeared to be a rehearsal for a potential bombing attack on Iran's nuclear facilities.  —  Several American officials …

CABLE GUYS LUST FOR TIM'S JOB  —  TIM Russert's body wasn't even cold in the ground before MSNBC anchors Chris Matthews and Keith Olbermann started jockeying for his job, sources claim.  —  Matthews was heard loudly discussing what seemed to be his strategy for landing Russert's “Meet the Press” …

Obama's Decision Threatens Public Financing System  —  From the moment that the public financing system was created in the wake of the Watergate crisis, it was viewed as an imperfect way to rid politics of the excesses of special-interest money.  —  But now, with the decision by Senator Barack …

Dems excited, GOP wary of McClellan's testimony  —  House Democrats are eagerly preparing for Friday's testimony by former White House press secretary Scott McClellan, but Republicans seem unsure of how to handle the president's unlikely critic.  —  Both Democrats and Republicans …

Webb splits with Obama over drilling  —  By pushing a bill that distances himself from the Democratic Party and its presidential candidate on offshore drilling, Sen. Jim Webb of Virginia is picking a curious time to exercise his well-known independence.  —  Webb wants his home state …

EXCLUSIVE: Hezbollah Poised to Strike?  —  Officials Say “Sleeper Cells” Activated in Canada  —  Intelligence agencies in the United States and Canada are warning of mounting signs that Hezbollah, backed by Iran, is poised to mount a terror attack against “Jewish targets” somewhere outside the Middle East.

White Patches Found in Mars Trench Are Ice, Scientists Say  —  After a decade of shouting, “Follow the water!” in its exploration of Mars, NASA can finally say that one of its spacecraft has reached out, touched water ice and scooped it up.  —  Now, scientists will be able to tackle …

Former AG Accused of Playing Politics with Justice  —  Exclusive: Critic of Torture Policy Assured Job as US Attorney  —  Former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, now under investigation for allegedly politicizing the Justice Department, ousted a top lawyer for failing to adopt …

House approves war funds, GI benefits  —  A $186.5 billion wartime appropriations bill cleared the House Thursday evening together with new aid for the jobless and a landmark expansion of education benefits for veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.  —  Israel, Jordan and Mexico …

McCain's Oil Epiphany  —  Gas is $4 a gallon.  Oil is $135 a barrel and rising.  We import two-thirds of our oil, sending hundreds of billions of dollars to the likes of Russia, Venezuela and Saudi Arabia.  And yet we voluntarily prohibit ourselves from even exploring huge domestic reserves of petroleum and natural gas.