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” …

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.

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 …

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.

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.

Indiana may be in play  —  Obama running campaign ad here; McCain plans Indy appearance  —  Sen. Barack Obama's presidential campaign is calling Indiana “a battleground state,” and it's putting money into the state and assigning a key staff member here.  —  His rival, Republican John McCain, also has Indiana on his mind.