Ghosts in the GOP attack machine  —  In a web video emailed to supporters Thursday, Barack Obama explained that he was opting out of the public financing system because John McCain is “not going to stop the smears and attacks from his allies running so-called 527 groups who will spend millions …

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.

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” …

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 …

Driller Instinct  —  Blaming environmentalists for high energy prices, never mind the evidence, has been a hallmark of the Bush administration.  —  Thus, in 2001 Dick Cheney attributed the California electricity crisis to environmental regulations that, he claimed, were blocking power-plant construction.

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 …

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 …

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 …

A Life's Lesson  —  When somebody dies, we tell his story and try to define and isolate what was special about it—what it was he brought to the party, how he enhanced life by showing up.  In this way we educate ourselves about what really matters.  Or, often, re-educate ourselves, for “man needs more to be reminded than instructed.”

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.

Hell No, Baby Alex Won't Go  —  Have you seen the Baby Alex political ad that the radical left, George Soros-funded organization MoveOn.org has produced?  To some, it plays like a Saturday Night Live skit, but the intent is deadly serious: to damage John McCain.